Ghana Institute Of Journalism GIJ history
History of GIJ
The Ghana Institute of Journalism, formerly The Ghana School of Journalism, was officially opened on Monday, 16th October, 1959, by the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Kofi Baako.
The school was established by the Kwame Nkrumah government to provide training in journalism toward the development of a patriotic cadre of journalists to play an active role in the emancipation of the African continent.
Initially a department of the Accra Technical Institute (now Accra Polytechnic), the school had as its first principal and journalism tutor, Mr. Richard McMillan, then retiring as Director of British Information Services in Ghana. In 1966, the school moved to the present site which used to house the Ghana Press Club.
Over the years, the Institute has undergone significant changes, and owes its current tertiary status to the following legislative instruments.
1974 Decree Establishing GIJ
In 1974, the National Redemption Council (NRC) passed a legislative instrument (NRCD 275) formally establishing the Ghana Institute of Journalism. The decree set as objects of the Institute the following:
a) To train young men and women in the skills and techniques of journalism, mass communication, advertising and public relations.
b) To organise classes, lectures, seminars, demonstrations, experiments, researches and practical training in all aspects of journalism and mass communication.
For several decades these objectives served as the Institute’s core functions in training and awarding diplomas and certificates in communication studies.
2006 Act Elevating GIJ to Tertiary Status
The Parliament of the Fourth Republic and the President enacted the Ghana Institute of Journalism Act, 2006 (Act 717) to transform the Institute into a degree-awarding tertiary institution.
Subsequently, the President granted a Charter to enable the Institute award its own degrees, diplomas and certificates for programmes accredited by the National Accreditation Board. This certificate was assented to by the President in August 2006, with a Gazette notification on 1st September 2006.
The Ghana Institute of Journalism has now become a fully fledged communication training institution with the status of a university. As public policy demands, the Institute has now been placed under the Ministry of Education, and it is now directly under the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).
GIJ has embraced the responsibilities and challenges presented by its new tertiary status, and continues to fulfil its mission to serve the needs of students, the media industry and society.