Students who can't graduate tell their stories

Europa

June 21, 2017 9:49 AM

At the Ghana Institute of Journalism, a graduation ceremony which was to have taken place in February this year for students pursuing a masters’ programme has been postponed indefinitely.

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“We have given up on them because they don’t really know when they want us to graduate. So we are just here waiting; what can we do? Definitely, you need the certificate for whatever you need it to be used but you are not getting it. So what do we do? We just have to wait.”

The above are the words of a student who pursued a masters’ programme at the Ghana Institute of Journalism last year but has not been able to graduate.

This is because the graduation ceremony which was to have taken place in February this year has been postponed indefinitely.

School authorities have blamed the situation on the absence of a Governing Council in the school.

But the student, who spoke to Pulse.com.gh on a condition of anonymity, said she has lost all hopes now.

“...I needed it [certificate] for something very important. But I would just have to hold on and wait for them, because I was supposed to use it for something outside Ghana. So I’m waiting,” she said.

She, like several other students, have been left stranded, as they are being forced to wait as school authorities say they have no idea as to when a new Council will be in place.

As one of the students puts it on a social media platform, Facebook: “People need their certificates to further their education, apply for jobs and upgrade themselves at their workplaces and whoever is responsible is dragging his/her feet. Education should not be toyed with in the name of politics.”

For one other student, the situation is worrying. He said that even though he already has a job, “this was just an added thing I wanted.”

He said that some of his colleagues who needed the certificate for employment are the ones heavily affected.

So why the absence of a Governing Council?

Whenever there is a change of government, Councils appointed by the previous government are set aside for the incoming government to inaugurate a new one.

This trend is growing very fast and it is really affecting students at the various universities.

At the University of Education, Winneba, a graduation ceremony expected to take place in April was postponed indefinitely over the absence of a Council.

Government’s response

Meanwhile, the government has assured that the Governing Councils of the various tertiary institutions will be reconstituted in a few days’ time.

And until that is done, students from the various campuses who are to graduate can only keep their fingers crossed.

Europa