The OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies graduated 63 students at its fourth graduation held at the institution's premises in Asawasi, Asokore Mampong Municipal in the Ashanti Region.
The ceremony was held on Sunday, July 10, 2022 and was themed “Ensuring Responsible Journalism: The Role of Educational Institutions in Media” and students received diploma certificates for the 2-year course aimed at developing skills and helping young people acquire employable skills.
In his speech, the Director of Education for Obuasi East Ashanti Region Directorate of Education, Kwabena Owusu-Nketia, asked the graduates to be responsible journalists by upholding the ethics of the profession.
“Be as accurate, fair and complete as possible. Be honest and do your responsibilities with honor and do your job without fear or partisanship. You should keep the quality of your reporting at the highest level, it will build and strengthen your credibility.
“Be responsible to your readers and always uphold the highest standards of journalism, accept criticism with an open mind, correct your mistakes and learn from them, check your facts and avoid assumptions,” added Mr Owusu-Nketia.
The educator advised them to prepare themselves to accept any challenges that may come their way as a result of change, seize good opportunities and make a difference wherever they find themselves to fulfill their needs and aspirations.
Media expert Gabriel Amoah, who was the guest speaker, commended the contribution of the school since its inception in 2004 by producing quality media personnel across Ghana and still remains the epitome of producing top quality media content and journalists.
Mr. Amoah, who is the Press Secretary to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon Simon Osei Mensah, asked media training institutions to ensure that they provide the kind of educational content that will shape the minds of students to compete in the job market.
He noted that most media institutions focus a lot of effort on disc jockeying, sports presentation, Akan News presentation among others without proper training with the knowledge and skills to write accurate, fair, balanced and unbiased stories.
“Students can only thrive when they have the ability to analyze, write creatively, think intelligently and act professionally in an effort to apply for job placement and minimize harm in the workplace,” he said.
The Director of the Otec School of Journalism and Communication Studies, Mr. Matthew Donkor, in his speech said the school has two (2) Diplomas in Journalism and Media Studies. It is affiliated to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), formally NABPTEX.
He disclosed that the school has also started processes to obtain accreditation from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), formally the National Accreditation Board (NAB).
Mr. Donkor noted that the school which started with ten (10) students in 2004 has produced hundreds of prominent and well-equipped journalists who are doing commendably in various media institutions across the country.
He told the graduates: "The sector needs you more than ever and I feel more confident and relaxed knowing that as the well-trained great-grandmothers of the OTECSchool of Journalism and Communication Studies, you will continue to be at the Center of exceptional solutions for building a good journalistic environment in society."
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