The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has graduated 63 inmates of the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in the Eastern Region who have successfully completed their undergraduate programmes through the College of Distance Education (CoDE).
Of the number, three (3) students passed out with first class in Bachelor of Education (JHS Education), while 10 students came out with Second Class Upper Division, 19 with Second Class Lower Division and six (6) with third class, as well as one (1) with pass.
In the Bachelor of Commerce (Management), one (1) had second class upper division, seven (7) had second class lower division, three (3) with third class and six (6) with passes.
With regard to Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), two ((2) with second class upper division, two (2) with class lower division, one with third class and two had pass.
The students were made up of 58 males and 5 females, with the Overall Best Graduating Student being Mathew Milluzieh with a CGPA of 3.8.
Special prizes and awards were presented by the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Denis Aheto with assistance from the Provost of the CoDE, Prof. Anokye Mohammed Adam to graduands who had first class.
By this feat, UCC will offer them with a scholarship package to pursue a master’s programme with CoDE when they finish their prison term.
Prof. Denis Aheto addressing the graduands
In an address read on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong by the Pro. Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto, during the 9th Session of the 57th congregation, Prof. Baompong congratulated the graduands on their sterling academic performances regardless of the challenges in the prison.
He also praised the President of the Plan Volta Foundation Mr. Prince Solomon for the initiative.
Prof. Boampong indicated that UCC had invested nearly ₵2.5 million waiving tuition fees to ensure that inmates willing to pursue tertiary education were not denied.
“UCC continues to absorb the costs of hiring tutors, supplying learning modules and managing complex logistics between Cape Coast and Nsawam. We are proud of what we have achieved but we cannot do it alone,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor, therefore, called on GETFUND, Scholarship Secretariat, NGOs and corporate bodies as well as compassionate individuals to partner with the University.
“ With your support we can sustain this programme but also extend it to other correctional facilities across the nation,” he added.
Prof. Boampong said that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission had problems with the Study Center at Nsawam and therefore called for massive infrastructure development at the center.
“I propose that the existing facilities to be upgraded to meet the expected standard,” he stressed
He told the students : “By choosing education, you are making a powerful statement about commitment to personal growth and positive change. You are proving that past circumstances do not define future potentials.
Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi speaking at the event
The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr. Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, in a remark, said the government would continue to support rehabilitation programmes of the Ghana Prisons Service and lauded the University for its forward thinking approach to rehabilitation.
“I urge you to view this moment not as the end of the journey but as the beginning of a new chapter. The knowledge and skills you have gained, you can use it to build a better future for yourselves and families,” he told the graduates.
He said the inmates now have the opportunity to be change makers, leaders and role models who could inspire others in similar situations to pursue education, personal development and effect change.
The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, for her part, lauded Plan Volta Foundation and UCC for bringing tertiary education to the doorstep of inmates.
She congratulated the graduands for their perseverance and success, saying: “ As pacesetters, you have started on a high note, you cannot lower the bar.”
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie expressed the hope that the graduands would use the knowledge acquired to the benefit of society with a total mind change to live meaningful lives beyond the walls of prisons.
Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie
She indicated the readiness of the GPS to support inmates to further their education to climb the academic ladder.
“You don’t have to be a bachelors holder or somebody with masters. There are more than enough programmes here and all the serious ones must endeavour to go through the programmes to become employable when discharged,” she stated.
The President of the Plan Volta Foundation, Mr. Prince Solomon, appealed to the National Identification Authority (NIA) to provide graduands with Ghana Cards to enable those who had served their sentences embark on their national service.
He also appealed to the government to give graduands with education backgrounds who had finished serving their sentence with automatic employment as teachers to serve the nation.
The President of the Plan Volta Foundation, Mr. Prince Solomon
He appealed to the government to support the programme so that it could be extended to other prison facilities.
“ We are, however, yet to receive support from the government. We urge the government to support us to sustain this noble programme,” he said.
Source: Documentation and Information Section
