Ghana Institute of Journalism

The Ghana Institute of Journalism is a public university in Ghana.[1] The institute has accreditation from the National Accreditation Board.[2][3]

History

The Ghana Institute of Journalism was established on 16 October 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah had a vision to train a patriotic cadre corps of journalists to play an effective role in the emancipation of the African continent hence established the Ghana Institute of Journalism.[4]

The school was formally called School of Journalism which was a department at the Accra Technical Institute now Accra Technical University. The school had Mr Richard McMillan who was then due for retirement as the Director of the British Information Services in Ghana as its first principal and journalism tutor.

In 1974, the National Redemption Council (NRC) passed a legislative instrument (NRCD 275) formally establishing the Ghana Institute of Journalism. The decree set as objects of the Institute the following:

  1. To train young men and women in the skills and techniques of journalism, mass communication, advertising and public relations.[5]
  1. To organise classes, lectures, seminars, demonstrations, experiments, researches and practical training in all aspects of journalism and mass communication.[5]

University charter

The school got its presidential charter establishing it as a university in 2009.[6] The charter allowed the institute to self exist with the ability to award its own certificates, diplomas and degrees for its accredited programmes. This has severed the institute's affiliation with the University of Ghana.

Directors/rectors

Richard McMillan served as the first principal of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. In 1959 when GIJ was established, he was then retiring as Director of British Information Services in Ghana. McMillan, who also taught journalism, served for three years as principal—until 1962. Today the GIJ library is named the Richard McMillan Library in honour of the Institute's first principal.

Name Duration
Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo 2018-
Modestus Fosu 2018
W.S.K Dzisah 2014-2018
David Newton 2009-2014
Kweku Rockson 2006-2009
David Newton 1993-2006
Kojo Yankah 1984-1993
Kwame Duffour 1983-1984
Kabral Blay Amihere 1982-1983
R. Quartey 1979-1982
G. F. Dove 1973-1978
Fred Agyeman 1969-1973
Martin Tay 1968-1969
W.G. Smith 1965-1966
Cecil Forde 1963-1965
Sam Arthur 1962-1963

Programmes

The school runs Diploma, Bachelor of Arts and Masters programmes.[7]

  • The Diploma Programme is a 2-year programme consists of communication, social sciences and arts subjects.
  • The Bachelor of Arts programme is a 4-year programme with options of specializing in either Journalism or Public Relations.
  • The Masters Programmes is a 1-year programme with options to specialise in Public Relations, Journalism, Media Management and Development Communication.

Controversy

The management of the university was labeled as 'insensitive' to the hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic after the school increased its facility user fees for 2020/21 academic year. It led to a protest on social media and the decision was later reversed.[8]

Amnesty for non graduating students

In November 2020, students who had not been able to graduate since 2013, were given the opportunity by the academic board to register and complete their programmes. This was to be done within three years. [9]

References
  1. "Ghana Institute of Journalism". Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  2. "Ghana Institute of Journalism". www.nab.gov.gh. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  3. "Ghana Institute of Journalism". www.gij.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
  4. http://web.gij.edu.gh/index.php/about-gij/about-gij-overview
  5. "History". Gij.edu.gh. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. "Ghana Institute of Journalism now a University". www.modernghana.com. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  7. "Academic Courses – Ghana Institute of Journalism". gij.edu.gh. Retrieved 2018-09-17.
  8. "UG reduces fees for 2020/21 academic year". www.ghanaweb.com. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
  9. "GIJ grants amnesty to students yet to graduate since 2013". Graphic Online. Retrieved 2020-11-27.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.