STUDENTS of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) are angry over a directive by the management of the institute, ordering students to defer their programmes.
The GIJ management in a notice on Tuesday, March 23, ordered students who paid their school fees after the deadline for registration, to defer their programmes.
“Management of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, at its meeting held on Monday, March 22, 2021, decided that students who paid their fees after the registration deadline should defer their programmes,” the notice partly read, adding “all affected students are to take note of this directive and act accordingly.”
Students’ Protest
This decision by the management did not sit well with the students who, on Tuesday night, took to social media to register their disapproval.
According to them, the directive is coming at a crucial time on the academic calendar as students have barely four days to prepare for their end of first semester examination.
Through various posts on various social media handles monitored by DAILY GUIDE, the students expressed their grievances at the decision and called on management to reconsider its stance on the matter.
They lamented that the affected students had struggled to pay their fees, including penalty for late registration, and it was therefore ‘insensitive’ on the part of management to order them to defer their programmes.
Alumni Support
A number of past students of the institute in solidarity with the aggrieved students also joined the protest to support their colleagues on campus yesterday, to push for a review of the decision.
Demonstration
A number of aggrieved students even stormed the Osu campus, in an attempt to register their concerns to management, but the security denied them access.
At the North Dzorwulu campus, some students who also went there for the same purpose were also denied access to the campus.
According to the security, their denial of access to the various campuses was an “order from above.”
The students notwithstanding, clad in red and black attires, each with their nose masks on, stood at the entrance and chanted songs.
Some police officers were also sighted providing support to the domestic security of the institute at the Osu campus.
School Fees
Ahead of the 2020/2021 academic year, the management of the institute increased the school fees to be paid by students by 5%.
Per the new fee schedule, regular students pursuing the Bachelor in Communication Studies programme will pay GH¢2,520.00; whilst those pursuing a Diploma in Communication Studies (both regular and weekend) will have to pay GH¢2,310.00 as academic fees.
For Level 300 Top-up fresh students (weekend option), they are required to pay GH¢3,100; whereas their colleagues in Level 400 will have to pay GH¢2,730.00.
First-year Diploma in Communication Studies (evening option) students are required to pay GH¢2,660.00 whilst their colleagues in the weekend class will have to pay GH¢2,900.00.
SRC Position
A member of the Interim Committee of the Students’ Representative Council, Theodore Mawutor Abiwu, in an interview with citinewsroom.com monitored by DAILY GUIDE, described the order as “callous and insensitive.”
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio