… Promises Global Collaborations By Members
A distinguished Nigerian and student of Lagos State University (LASU), Amb. Edward Olutoke has underscored the need for collaboration of postgraduate students worldwide.
Olutoke argued that postgraduate students should not only limit their inputs to their alma mater alone but work in concert with their contemporaries in similar institutions in a manner that encourages cross-fertilisation of ideas from one end of the world to another.
Olutoke presented his inauguration speech, having been elected the pioneer Global President of the Global Association of Post Graduate Students (GAPOGS) during the body’s inaugural election which was held in New York in the United States of America in December.
Addressing members after his inauguration, Olutoke said his reason for joining like minds to initiate GAPOGS is anchored on his understanding that postgraduate students, regardless of individual status, are naturally of higher reasoning, adding that with such faculty, they could provide the necessary intellectual and material support base for their schools.
This, Olutoke explained, is why GAPOGS came on stream to create that all-inclusive ambience which would fast-track handshakes of postgraduate students across borders, while ultimately creating a global community where scholars would facilitate developments of their various campuses through a swap of ideas across varying fields.
“GAPOGS aims to establish a dynamic and supportive international network that empowers postgraduate students by providing opportunities for academic growth, interdisciplinary collaborations, cultural exchange, and professional advancement. GAPOGS is the unifying platform that promotes intellectual engagement, supports research endeavours, and cultivates a sense of camaraderie among postgraduate scholars globally,”
Olutoke said while explaining the aim of the student body.
On the purpose of GAPOGS, Olutoke who is currently a Ph.D. student at the Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos, Nigeria stressed that the body would seek collaborations with academic institutions, research and culture institutes, corporate organisations, and individuals across the world for academic growth, cultural exchange, business empowerment as well as professional advancement among members.
Aside from that, he added that the body would further engender an active intellectual entity that would support research undertakings in addition to skill acquisition, and other needs of students at that level which, according to him, would rub off on their campuses, connect town to gown, facilitate academic exchange programmes, as well as joint research initiatives and academic mobility of members.
He added that membership comprises strictly students in any postgraduate programme such as a graduate diploma, Master’s, Ph.D. or professional Doctorate from any part of the world.
Emphasising the modus operandi of GAPOGS, Amb. Olutoke identified some of them to include: the promotion of academic discourse; consistent organisation of seminars, webinars and conferences; critical thinking and intellectual engagement among scholars, enhancement of members’ professional growth, mentorship, public speaking skills, helping undergraduate students in their academic pursuits, as well as emphasis on the role of postgraduate students in addressing special needs of their campuses and tackling global challenges.
Others, according to Olutoke, include: “Identifying and promoting cultural diversity, provision of resources for intellectual and skill engagements, advocacy, promoting works inspired by GAPOGS and others, partnering with institutions of like minds for funding and logistics, encouraging research initiatives focused on sustainable developments, promoting awareness of social responsibility and ethical practices, offering access to database of global intellectuals, paving way for research grants and scholarships, encouraging members to soar in their academic pursuits and social well being.”
Olutoke enjoined interested postgraduate students all over the world to join this global movement by visiting the association’s web page-www.postgraduatestudents.org where they can register for free.
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