GIJ postgraduate students get Lebanese community scholarship

Four outstanding post-graduate students at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) have been awarded scholarships by the Lebanese community in Ghana for the 2020/2021 academic year.

The distinguished students, who were also financed by the community during their undergraduate studies at the same school, will be pursuing courses in Journalism and Public Relations at the graduate level.

The Lebanese community presented a cheque for GH¢44,000 for the full payment of tuition for the four students.

The Lebanon Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Maher Kheir, noted that journalism was crucial in building a diverse and fair society where everyone had equal opportunities to succeed.

“Journalism is a noble profession which highlights truth, corrects errors and promotes justice to create a fair society for all persons,” he said.

Experience in media

He noted that Lebanon had rich experience in media practise in the Middle East, adding that “this experience is rich with pioneer journalists who sacrificed their lives to defend the truth and protect human rights”.

“I, therefore, urge you to remain faithful to the principles of this academic discipline, and become shining examples to the world,” he said.

To promote cultural and educational co-operation between Lebanon and Ghana, post-graduate students on the Lebanese scholarship programme will from now conduct a comparative research on either Lebanese-Ghanaian subjects or purely Lebanese subjects in their final thesis at the institute.

Challenging times

This, the ambassador explained, “offers students the chance to experience Lebanese journalism, especially because Lebanon is a pillar in media in the Middle East and the surrounding region”.

Despite the challenging economic times, Mr Kheir assured the beneficiaries that the community would continue to support the scholarship programme.

“The Lebanese community in Ghana was severely affected by the outbreak of the virus and by the critical situation in Lebanon where all people have lost their monies saved in the bank. Despite all these, our faith is still stood strong, and we remain committed to supporting you to realise your ambition to promote national development,” he added.

Growing ties

The Rector of GIJ, Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, applauded the growing ties between the school and the Lebanese community, noting that the school did not take the support for granted.

“It is easy to begin to take the kind gesture of the Lebanese community for granted since it happens every year. But I would like to assure them that we don’t take it for granted at all. We really appreciate them for their consistency and persistence,” he added.

One of the beneficiaries, Joseph Agbezuke, thanked their benefactors for the support, saying it had given their tertiary education a boost, and assured the financiers that the students would honour the confidence reposed in them.

Aside from the GIJ, the Lebanese Community Scholarship Programme also supports law students at the University of Ghana and  the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and more recently, language students at the School of Languages, University of Ghana.