By Edward Acquah
Accra, Oct. 15, GNA – The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has dismissed reports in sections of the media alleging that it is “deliberately frustrating” doctoral students at its School of Public Service and Governance, preventing them from graduating.
In a statement issued and signed by Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, Rector of GIMPA, copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, the Institute described the reports as “misleading, unfair and lacking full context.”
It said GIMPA remained committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity in its PhD programmes.
“Doctoral education by its very nature demands sustained commitment to high-quality research, originality and intellectual rigour,” the statement said.
“PhD education is not a race against time but a rigorous process of producing original, high-quality research that contributes to national development and global scholarship.”
Since the launch of its doctoral programmes in 2015, GIMPA has graduated about 35 PhD students, averaging three per year.
The management explained that the Academic Board’s decision to introduce an ad hoc committee to review student papers was part of a quality assurance mechanism aimed at strengthening research standards.
“The ad hoc committee gives feedback to students and supervisors towards improvement of their work,” it said, and that: “It is not an alteration of the PhD programme structure, as alleged, but a normal peer-review process found in academia.”
While most schools within GIMPA had accepted the peer-review process, some PhD students from the School of Public Service and Governance had petitioned the Governing Council, viewing it as interference.
It said the Institute could not “compromise on academic integrity by graduating students who have not met the quality standards of a PhD programme,” adding that new PhD guidelines had been developed to clarify expectations for all doctoral candidates.
“Recognising that the primary currency of any university is the quality of its output, GIMPA remains committed to producing world-class doctoral graduates whose research addresses national and global challenges,” the statement noted.
The management of GIMPA welcomed constructive dialogue with stakeholders but would continue to “stand for rigour, integrity and relevance in research,” it added.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe