A student of Lagos State University (LASU,) Edward Olutoke, has stressed the need for collaboration between postgraduate students worldwide, saying they should not limit their inputs to their alma mater alone, but work with their contemporaries in other institutions to encourage cross fertilisation of ideas from one end of the world to another.
Olutoke, in his address shortly after his election as pioneer president of Global Association of Post Graduate Students (GAPOGS) in the United States, said the association was 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.
He said the group would create the all-inclusive ambience, which would fast-track handshakes of postgraduate students across borders, while ultimately creating a global community where scholars would facilitate development of their various campuses.
He said: “The aim of GAPOGS is to establish a dynamic and supportive international network that empowers postgraduate students by providing opportunities for academic growth, inter-disciplinary 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 added.
On the purpose of GAPOGS, Olutoke said the body would seek collaborations with academic institutions, research institutes, corporate organisations, and individuals across the world, for academic growth, cultural exchange, business empowerment as well as professional advancement, among members.
Aside 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, which would connect both the town and gown, facilitate academic exchange programmes, joint research initiatives and academic mobility of members.
Olutoke listed some benefits of the group to include promotion of academic discourse; consistent organisation of seminars, webinar and conferences; critical thinking and intellectual engagement among scholars, enhancing members’ professional growth, mentorship, public speaking skills, helping undergraduate students in their academic pursuits, emphasising the role of postgraduate students in addressing special needs on campuses, as well as tackling global challenges.
