Ghana Institute of Journalism Comes Clean On Occurrence During 1st Session of The 15th Congregation
Management of the Ghana Institue of Journalism says it cannot be blamed for occurrence during its 1st session of its 15th congregation.
A session of its graduands during its 15th congregation blamed management of the school for its poor planning when the event which was expected to be their joyous moment was disrupted by heavy rains.
But in a statement signed by the Assistant Registrar of the Institute, Mr Daniel Machator, he explained that the institute did due diligence before the final day and that its events cannot be blamed on them.
The Congregation Planning Committee on the eve of the event, confirmed from the Ghana Meteorological Agency the weather forecast for the period of the event (10:00am - 12:00 noon) as clear. There was, however, a 40% chance of slight rains after 1:00pm.
The Committee despite this assurance planned to move the event to the Institute’s ultra-modern auditorium, which is just about 20 metres from the event ground, in the event of forecast failure. The event, in such a circumstance, was to be held in two sessions: first, for Journalism and then, for Public Relations graduands, the statement added.
He noted that the second half of graduands, together with parents and acquaintances, were to move to four lecture halls on the 1st floor, where the event would be screened live for viewing as the auditorium had a maximum seating capacity of four hundred.
Read Full Statement Below
GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM
DETAILS OF OCCURRENCE DURING THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 15TH CONGREGATION AT GIJ
Following the minor occurrence during the 1st Session of the 15th Congregation of the Ghana Institute of Journalism held on the 21st of April 2022, Management wishes to dispel threads of wrong reportage in sections of the media and set the records straight as follows:
1. The Forecourt of the North Dzorwulu Campus has, until this year, hosted four successful Congregations beginning with one in 2018.
2. The Congregation Planning Committee on the eve of the event, confirmed from the Ghana Meteorological Agency the weather forecast for the period of the event (10:00am - 12:00 noon) as clear. There was, however, a 40% chance of slight rains after 1:00pm.
3. The Committee despite this assurance planned to move the event to the Institute’s ultra-modern auditorium, which is just about 20 meters from the event ground, in the event of forecast failure. The event, in such a circumstance, was to be held in two sessions: first, for Journalism and then, for Public Relations graduands. The second half of graduands, together with parents and acquaintances, were to move to four lecture halls on the 1st floor, where the event would be screened live for viewing as the auditorium had a maximum seating capacity of four hundred.
4. About forty-five minutes into the event, it started raining. The Registrar announced that the programme had to be moved to the Auditorium due to the weather. She, additionally, announced the agreed location for parents and acquaintances of graduands.
5. The programme had barely resumed after the movements when a group of graduands entered from the rear of the auditorium amidst chanting and noise making disrupting the smooth flow of the event. The group, numbering about fifteen, insisted that their parents be allowed into the auditorium to witness the rest of the event, or the Rector and other dignitaries relocate to the outdoor event ground.
6. Calm was restored after about fifteen minutes of disturbances, allowing for continuation of the programme.
7. Any twisted reportage seeking to portray the Institute in a negative light is not only mischievous but shameful. The general public is assured that Management of the Institute will continue to work with our student body and the Institute’s publics to deliver on its mandates as it has done over the years.
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