The University of Cape Coast (UCC) College of Distance Education (CoDE) has held the 15th matriculation ceremony for fresh students admitted to pursue education and business related programmes by distance for the 2015/2016 academic year.
A total of 18, 830 students were admitted nationwide with 14,206 offering Diploma and Post-Diploma programmes in Education and 4,624 pursuing business courses which include Marketing and Management Studies. Out of the total number of students who gained admission 10, 634 were male and 8, 205 female.
The matriculation ceremony was held in zones for students in the various regions in the country. The ceremony for the Northern Zone comprising the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions was held at the Tamale Sports Stadium while the Middle Zone which includes the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions converged at the Kumasi Sports Stadium for the ceremony. Students in the Southern Zone which is made up of Central, Volta, Greater Accra and the Western Regions would had their matriculation on UCC campus.
Addressing the students , the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. D. D. Kuupole pointed out that gender parity was gaining grounds in UCC. This according to him was evident in the increasing number of female students admitted each year.
Prof. Kuupole also noted that although the University had raised its pass mark for admissions, many students were making effort to enroll on the UCC Distance Education programme. The rationale, he said, was to ensure that the University did not compromise on its quality. He gave the assurance that the university would continue to uphold its high academic standards in order to ensure that graduates of UCC meet the needs of society. He further indicated that due to the premium the university placed on quality, graduates from UCC continued to be the preferred choice on the job market.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the university was seriously embarking on transformational and expansion of policies to enhance distance learning by opening more study centres nationwide. He mentioned the opening of new study centres at Datus School Complex in Accra, Tema and Kasoa; West Africa Senior High School in Greater Accra Region. Others include Begoro Presbyterian SHS in the Eastern Region; Sefwi Dabieso SHS in Western Region and Manso Abore-Mansoman SHS in Ashanti Region. He added that there had been an increase in enrolment in most of the established centres including the introduction of new disciplines.
Touching on e-Learning facilities for distance students, Prof. Kuupole said over 20 of the modules had been reviewed and digitalised. He assured the students that they would soon access the modules on their iPads.
In addition, he noted, the University had also expanded its graduate study centres for distance students, pointing out that the University would continue to be the blazing light in distance education in the country and beyond.
The Vice-Chancellor urged the students to take their studies seriously and also attend face-to-face sessions regularly to enable them excel in their examinations.