; Is It Still Relevant In Contemporary Times?
By: Joe Effah-Nkyi

The relevance of graduating students presenting research project work as part of academic requirement for earning ultimate degree or diploma seems to be evidently losing its efficacy in this 21st century where globalized technology has metamorphosed into an indispensable tool.
Irrefutably, academic research project work or thesis or in other parlance dissertation have become an essential core component of every academic and research institution globally; starting from the medieval times right down to man’s present dispensation. Unequivocally, one cannot successfully come out the university or any tertiary institution as a fully ‘baked’ graduate without having to go through the rigorous path of writing academic project work. It is an inevitable exercise.
Literally, it is significant to emphasize that the velocity with which the world is developing could partly be attributed to the immense academic research work through prudent outcomes of students’ academic project work. Today, most global inventions like the World Wide Web including enhanced ICT that the world is witnessing now and which had succeeded to incredibly continue to shrink the globe with greater intensity are classical examples.
The above notwithstanding, the good intentions coupled with the positivity characteristics of writing and presentation of academic project work seems to be gradually on the decline. The new trends that are largely and rapidly unfolding in the universities and tertiary institutions are the fact that greater percentage of the population of graduating students expected to embark on vigorous research project work do not actually undertake such academic exercise themselves; Let’s call a spade a spade, the actuality is that most students rely on specialized ‘contractors’ with perceived knowledge expertise in writing thesis and dissertations who are contracted for the execution of assigned academic project work for presentation.

JUSTIFICATION
Visit any of the country’s tertiary institution and one would be met with all manner of posters audaciously displayed in this regard. All one needs is to submit his or her chosen topic. A negotiated fee is then charged and presto the thesis is written in chronological mandate and based on the expectation of the student.
Apparently, exploring the internet, one is confronted with similar enticing messages and adverts which are attractively packaged and hosted to lure prospective enchanted individuals for such services to be rendered. This presupposes that, our tertiary institutions might churn out ‘half-baked’ graduates because students are no longer able to think aloud that would enhance their ability to come out with strategic ingenuity and creativity which could possibly unearth some elements of scientific or technological inventions and breakthroughs. The sad aspect is that these are the very category of people expected to assume the reigns of leadership to cause paradigm shift in our pursuit for thorough socio-politico economic transformation.
In the light of the above, a pragmatic strategy to deflate or neutralize such precarious emerging trend becomes so profound. Captains within pedagogical institutions the world over should wake up from their slumber to join forces to annihilate this gigantic social immorality confronting the learning institutions globally.
Ultimately, the production and presentation of academic project work should be given a second look. Other options could be adopted that would seem to have some level of simplification and flexibility in thoughts yet ensuring the student exhibits the acquired academic skill influenced by the natural intuitive qualities of the individual.

JOE EFFAH-NKYI, (CEO-LOGISTICS CONTROL LTD.)
P.O BOX CE 12281,
TEMA.
TEL; +233 244250922
E-MAIL: logisticscontrolltd@yahoo.com