The Tema campus of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has matriculated 70 students into various degree programmes with a call on them to embrace ethical knowledge acquisition and shun irresponsible behaviour.

The students, who were the sixth batch to be admitted at the Tema campus since it was established in 2012, were admonished to stay clear from acts that would deny them the right to earn a degree after their stay.

Speaking to the students on Friday during the matriculation ceremony, the Rector of GIMPA, Professor Ebow Bondzi-Simpson, said: “You have pledged to obey the rector and all officers of the institute to whom your obedience is required. If your colleagues invite you to go on an unauthorized demonstration, rally, assembly or procession, you don’t owe allegiance or obedience to them and shouldn’t obey them.”

He said if any member of staff enticed them for consideration in cash or kind so that life would be made easier for them and grades doctored for them, they were not required to obey those officers, adding that, “Whom you obey and what you obey would determine whether your matriculation would translate to graduation or otherwise.”

He added that, “You are to study diligently with integrity and academic honesty; you are not here to purchase your degrees; you are here to read and earn your degrees. Are you trying to get favours so that you are not assessed on your merits, but you are trying to get rewards by virtue of your contacts. Such persons are dangerous to the country.”

He said examination malpractice was not tolerated and that they should not expect that they would earn a degree through connections.

“There are ethics associated with scholarship and all the ethical dimensions including compliance with intellectual property and anti-plagiarism issues; you would address yourselves accordingly,” he said.

He said they pledged to seek and apply the truth steadfastly as students and even after completion, “So your matriculation oath binds you during the course of your stay and after, and you may have heard it said before that people’s degrees have been redrawn from them. You shall not as GIMPA matriculants be known to be lying characters.”

He said GIMPA was not promising them perfection but pursuit of excellence, and so if they found things that were wrong, it was their duty to draw attention to them, but not in a way to undermine the institute and the country.

He indicated that, “And for whatever reason, however legitimate, you take to slander and defamation, to the destruction of GIMPA or private or public property, you bring the name of the country or institute into disrepute, then however sweet your case otherwise is, you’d have violated your matriculation oath.”

He hoped that higher education imperatives would pass through them, and that they would acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes through hard work.

He observed that they were expected to develop communication skills in order to communicate effectively in addition to the specific skills applicable to their different disciplines.

“Knowledge is not enough, complement it with skills, and knowledge and skills are not enough, you need to have the right attitudes, the right frame of mind, and the right approach to dealing with your problems,” he stressed.

The Manager of the Tema Campus, Dr. Ken Ofori-Boateng, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), observed that when the students took the matriculation oath, it gave a responsibility to both lecturers and students, and in as much as GIMPA was proud for hosting the students, faculty would not reduce the standards to favour anybody.

He informed that even though Tema were a satellite campus, they adhered to strict standards that ensured that the students apportioned their time and sacrificed luxurious lifestyles to pass their examinations.

He informed that plans were far advanced for the Tema campus to relocate to a more convenient facility whilst talks with the Ghana Education Service (GES) were ongoing to acquire land for the construction of a permanent campus.