SECTOR 4 4.9 Media professionals have access to training facilities offering formal qualification programmes as well as opportunities to upgrade skills. Diploma courses at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) or the School of Communication Studies (SCS) at the University of Ghana take between two and three years and degree courses three to four years to complete. Currently, 700 aspiring journalists are studying at the GIJ and 200 take their final exams every year – a number that the market is not capable to absorb. From 2012, the SCS will also offer a “sandwich programme” for working journalists who seek to obtain a degree either to upgrade their skills or to start an academic career; the intake will be 40 part-time students. This programme is considered extremely expensive with the annual fee for a MPhil course standing at GHS 4200 (US$ 2772). In addition to these training opportunities, local and international organisations offer courses on cross-cutting themes, topical issues and subject matter like financial reporting, economics and court reporting. These organisations include, for example, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), which trains journalists in community radio skills, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), which organizes capacity training workshops or the Ghana Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), which offers courses for journalists on food aid and food security issues. Broadcasting houses cooperate closely with Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands or the British Broadcasting Corporation all of which offer training, short courses and exchange programmes for selected journalists from Ghana. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 54 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2011 3.5 (2008: 3.8; 2006: 4.7)