The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has denied claims of frustrating PhD students, insisting it remains committed to upholding academic integrity and high research standards.
In a press statement signed by the Rector, Professor Samuel Kwaku Bonsu, the Institute described recent media reports alleging that management was preventing students from graduating as “misleading and unfair.”
GIMPA explained that its PhD programme, introduced in 2015, has produced about 35 graduates to date. The Institute emphasized that doctoral studies are a rigorous academic process designed to ensure originality, quality, and contribution to global scholarship, not a race against time.
According to the statement, GIMPA has implemented several initiatives to strengthen academic quality and efficiency. These include continuous faculty development through training and mentorship programmes, the introduction of structured doctoral seminars and research methodology workshops, and the enhancement of internal and external peer review systems. The Institute has also streamlined its doctoral processes to promote efficiency without compromising quality.
A key part of GIMPA’s reforms is the ad hoc Academic Board Committee, which reviews student research before public presentations. Management clarified that this process provides an extra layer of academic quality assurance, a common practice in reputable universities worldwide, and does not interfere with supervision.
While acknowledging a petition from some PhD students to the Governing Council, GIMPA reiterated that it cannot compromise academic standards.
“GIMPA cannot graduate students who have not met the quality standards of a PhD programme. The standards remain the same; what has changed is an additional layer of quality assurance,” the statement read.
Professor Bonsu reaffirmed that GIMPA remains dedicated to producing world-class doctoral graduates whose research contributes meaningfully to Ghana’s development and global knowledge
Source: metrotvonline.com
