The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has advised management of GIMPA to partner with internet service providers to develop on line programmes for effective and efficient teaching and learning.

He said sensitivity to the needs of GIMPA's stakeholders in “these times of Covid-19 was important in leveraging the internet to boost the sustainability of higher education in the country.”

The Speaker of Parliament said this in Accra at the GIMPA at 60 Alumni lecture on the theme, " The Sustainability of Higher Education in Post-Pandemic Times: A Celebration of GIMPA".

He commended GIMPA for adapting quickly to the changing demands of teaching and learning in the context of Covid-19 Pandemic, using appropriate technology, providing the institute with a sustainable delivery of education.

"GIMPA is not just another institution of learning; rather, it is one that seeks to promote the development of managerial and leadership skills and competences for persons employed in the public and private sectors and non-governmental organizations," he said.

The Speaker of Parliament said today’s students appeared ready to accept online and a mixed approach to learning and urged GIMPA to redefine its relationship with technology to meet the needs of stakeholders.

He urged the Institute to collaborate with competitors, to build an ecosystem rather than sets of transactions and find the synergy for diversification and sustainability.

This, Mr Bagbin noted, would require a reassessment of business models and how GIMPA generated value.

"GIMPA must continue to explore technological options for the different aspects of teaching and learning- for the preparation of lecture notes, giving and submission of assignments, sharing of lecture notes".

The World Economic Forum in 2025, shows that higher education will be a hybrid of in-person and online learning, and the Speaker of Parliament viewed that, that is the way it should be.

He suggested that GIMPA must place a greater focus on its purpose and who it intended to serve because the economic sustainability of institutions of higher learning remained a challenged due to a decline in international students and a low return on investments.

The 2020 QS Global International Student Survey demonstrates that international students are open to virtual learning, with 58 per cent of students declaring some level of interest in completing their courses online.

However, challenges such as the strength of internet connection in local areas and the schedule time of lectures, he believed, should be looked at.  

He said the role of institutions of higher education in strengthening and informing education policy and practice at every level was central to reimagining education to address the challenges of Covid-19.

Mr Bagbin said institutions which continue to invest in online learning in post-Covid-19 era would have access to a greater variety of student markets and could position themselves as innovation leaders.