The University of Cape Coast, UCC, has admitted a total of 17, 501 fresh students to pursue both undergraduate and post-graduate programmes by distance in various disciplines for the 2016/2017 academic year.

The figure comprises 16, 682 undergraduates and 819 postgraduate students. For the undergraduates, 12, 312 are pursuing education related programmes, while 4,370 are pursuing business related programmes. In terms of gender, the admission is made up of 9, 019 males representing 54.1 per cent and 7, 663 females which is approximately 45.9 per cent. The figures show an increase of 2.4 per cent over last year’s figure of 43.5 per cent.

Speaking at the matriculation ceremony for College of Distance Education (CoDE) students in the Western and Central Regions on UCC campus, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, expressed confidence that the high female ratio means that the achievement of a male to female ratio of 50:50 in distance education would be achieved in the foreseeable future.

He congratulated the women on their determination to pursue further studies and urged them to advise their colleagues to do same, adding “talk to your colleagues who are outside the fence to enroll in the programme because it is by this that you are empowered to perform your various roles expected of you.”

Prof. Ampiah also encouraged male counterparts and all husbands to support their women morally and financially to climb up the educational ladder so that the family in particular and society in general would benefit from the knowledge they have acquired.

The Vice-Chancellor gave the assurance that UCC would continue to improve upon its quality of distance education delivery. In that regard, he indicated that CoDE had embarked on a number of strategies to achieve the objective. He said series of training and re-training programmes had been designed for course tutors in all the Study Centres of the College.

The Vice-Chancellor also mentioned that training programmes had been outlined for permanent staff of the College in order to enhance their work and offer quality support services to numerous clientele. He said the Quality Assurance Unit of CoDE would continue to ensure that quality permeates in all aspects of the activities and programmes of the College.

Advising the fresh students, Prof. Ampiah said the distance education programme was quite different from the conventional programme where students devote most of their time to academic work. “You therefore need to strategise and manage the little time available to you effectively to derive maximum benefit,” he cautioned. He urged them to attend the face-to-face sessions regularly to enable them have deeper understanding of the courses they were pursuing.

The Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan, administered the matriculation oath to the students.

Students from the Greater Accra and Volta Regions who were also admitted by CoDE had their matriculation ceremony at the Accra Study Centre, Papafio Hills in Accra. Fresh students in the Middle and Norther Zones of CoDE will have their matriculation ceremony concurrently in Kumasi and Tamale respectively on January 9, 2017.

The University of Cape Coast, (UCC) is hosting the 7th Mini Ghana University Sports Association (GUSA) Games from 3rd to 13th January, 2016.

The official opening of the Games would be held on Thursday, January 5th, 2016 at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium at 2 pm. The 10-day competition is under the distinguished patronage of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah.

Participating Universities include the University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University for Development Studies(UDS). Others are the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), University for Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), University of Energy and Natural Resources(UENR). and the University of Health and Allied Sciences(UHAS).

Currently, all participating Universities and officials for the games have arrived at UCC for registration and accreditation. In all about 270 students have been registered with 800 officials. The multipurpose Sports Building which serves as the Games Secretariat has been well equipped with the necessary logistics. Accreditation cards have been produced officials and the various team members of the participating universities.

In an interview, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Prof. George K. T. Oduro, gave the assurance that all the necessary preparations have been done to ensure a successful organisation of the Mini-GUSA Games. He expressed confidence that the 7th edition of the Mini-GUSA which was being hosted by UCC would be on record as one of the best in the history of the games. He called on the University Community and the general public to be present at the Cape Coast Stadium to witness the games.

Prof. Oduro advised the participating teams and the officials to observe the rules of the respective games to bring out the beauty of the competition. He wished all the teams well in the competition.

A distinguished Professor of Population,Environment and Development, Prof. Kofi Awusabo-Asare, has been lauded for his contribution to the academia and national development, at a lecture organised by students and lecturers who have benefitted from his mentorship. The day also marked the 67th birthday of the professor.

Speaking on the topic, “The Academic Life of Prof. Kofi Awusabo-Asare: His Contribution To Academic Excellence, Professional Development and Mentorship,” Prof. Kwesi Anarfi of the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana, cautioned that, “Unless we make the Colleges of Education places of choice, we will never get the best brains to go there”.

Prof. Anarfi made this caution following the withdrawal of allowances paid to students in the Colleges of Education by the outgoing government. This issue generated debates about the fate for students of these Colleges.

Prof. Anarfi believes that the current situation has some serious implications for education, which would not bode well for the nation.

Prof. Anarfi said the current selection method does not allow the best of students to train at the various Colleges of Education since it was difficult to think that someone who made very good grades would opt to go to the training college but not the university.

This, the lecturer said, could be corrected if incentives like payment of allowances were restored to Colleges of Education.

“Some of us would not have gone to the College of Education if it were not for the allowances that were paid. The payment of allowances will be an attraction to brilliant but needy students to pass through Colleges of Education of before going to the university.”

Prof. Anarfi observed that without such facilities, many people occupying top positions in the country including Prof. Awusabo-Asare and himself would not have developed effectively their respective careers.

According to Prof. Anarfi, “We must not fool ourselves; the wage structure of teachers is not one of the best in the country, neither does the occupation have any prestige. No profession attracts so many derogatory remarks than teaching”.

He commended Prof. Awusabo-Asare, whom he describes as an inspirer and an awakener, for mentoring a lot of people to take up various positions in national development mostly in the academia. “This is because he (Prof. Awusabo-Asare) has lived with the realization that, the mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

Prof. Awusabo-Asare began his educational journey in his native Akyem Swedru at the St. Andrew Catholic School before he enrolled at the now defunct Nsaba Training College, and completed in 1969. He was then posted to teach in Yamfo in the Brong Ahafo Region

Though he did not have “the patience to wait,” the impression he left after three years of teaching at Yamfo was a “lasting one”.

Due to his desire to move up the ladder in his career, Prof. Awusabo Asare could not wait for the remaining year for him to qualify for study leave with pay. Rather, he left for the University of Cape Coast in 1972. 

This action, Prof. Anarfi says, was as a result of “a certain measure of restlessness found in people with vision and mission which drives them to achieve excellence”.

To the speaker, the mantra should be, “It is not where you are, but who you are” since for Prof. Awusabo-Asare, “it has been education by installment,” which has invariably made him “self-made.”

In view of this, Prof. Awusabo-Asare continued his quest to achieve his aim and thus went to the Regional Institute of Population Studies at the University of Ghana to pursue a Graduate Diploma in Population Studies.

He furthered his education overseas, obtaining a Master of Arts Degree in Demography from the Australian National University, Australia and a PhD in Demography and Population Studies from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

Prof. Anarfi told his audience that, a number of Ghanaians who trained outside in Population Studies abroad refused to come back.

“Almost all the Ghanaians who trained in RIPS and continued elsewhere in Europe, America and Australia, did not come back. It became a joke that African demographers are endangered species. You do not get them to stay in one place for too long. Thank God. Prof. Awusabo- Asare has remained put, all these years”. It was for this reason that the lecturer described Prof. Awusabo-Asare as “patriotic”.

Beyond Prof. Awusabo-Asare’s achievements in the classroom, it instructive to note as Prof. Anarfi puts it, “You can find Prof. Awusabo-Asare’s hand in almost every policy document in Ghana on population and health and HIV/AIDS”. 

Concluding, Prof. Anarfi had these kind words for Prof. Awusabo-Asare, “He is evergreen, not only in his ideas, but physically. We thank God for that and it is my belief that he is going to be with us for a long time to come.”

All we can say is “Mbo Kofi ‘Bernard’ aye bi ama wo man.”