At the 13th Congregation of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG), a total of 702 students comprising 349 males (49.7%) and 353 females (50.3%) graduated from the various programmes of the University.
In summary, 65 of the graduands obtained first class honours. While 326 of the graduating students obtained Second Class honours (upper division), 295 were awarded Second Class (lower division) honours with 14 Third Class and two graduands falling into the Pass division.
Presenting his report to the 13th Congregation, the President of PUCG, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng noted that the records show overall good performance from the graduands.
New Programmes
The President of PUCG said the University has received accreditation to commence two undergraduate programmes – BSc. International Development, BSc. Computer Engineering, and one graduate programme – MSc. Financial Risk Management.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng noted that the new programmes are important additions to the curriculum offerings in the University bringing undergraduate programmes to 17 and the graduate programmes to 5.
Commenting on the BSc. Computing Engineering programme which will be hosted in the Obo community, the President thanked the chief of Obo (Okwahu Nifahene), Nana Yeboah Afari Boadjan II for mobilizing the Obo Community to contribute funds to refurbish a classroom block into a library, office for staff, lecture rooms, and laboratory.
The Community has also provided furniture and equipment for the programme. The President was grateful to the chief of Obo for committing the use of his hotel as hostel accommodation for the students.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng called for closer collaboration between the University and the local communities noting that what has been achieved is a foretaste of strategic development if such partnerships are strengthened.
Currently the University has accreditation for Obo as a site of the Okwahu Campus and accreditation for BSc. Computer Engineering programme to be offered at the Obo site.
The University has also received accreditation from NABPTEX – The National Board for Professional and Technician Examination – to run the following programmes under the Board’s regulation for three (3) years from October, 2019: Higher National Diploma Programmes – Information Management and Technology, and Event Management.
The other programmes are Diploma in Business Administration, and Public Relations.
According to Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng there are other programmes going through affiliation processes. These are Doctor of Optometry and B.Sc. Midwifery for the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at Agogo and M.Phil. in Educational Studies for the Faculty of Education at Akropong.
PUCG Charter
Rev. Prof. Adow Obeng assured the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rt. Rev. Prof. J. O. Y. Mante that the University, is currently working hard to meet the requirements for charter.
“We have already put our governance structures and documentations in place, we have set up well structured faculty and departmental systems, and have developed and are running demand driven programmes of high quality”, he said.
The President of PUCG also added that the University over the years has recruited and grown the requisite academic and administrative staff meant for an autonomous university.
Qualification for teaching in a tertiary education institution
To meet the future teaching requirements, as envisaged in the new Education Bill that is before the Parliament of Ghana, the President said the Management of the University has encouraged the teaching and administrative staff who are not professional teachers to enroll on the Master of Education in Educational Studies programme run at PUCG.
He informed Congregation that two members of staff have already graduated from the MEd. Programme and about five have finished their first semester courses.
Rev. Prof. Adow Obeng said all the non professional teachers of the academic staff will undertake the M.Ed programme as he noted that “this will further improve the quality of teaching in the University.”
The President disclosed that the MEd. Educational Studies run at PUCG is a higher professional degree in Education, higher than the Post Graduate Diploma Programme at the University of Cape Coast and University of Education, Winneba.
Centralized Applications and Placement System
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng disclosed that the Government is currently working on a Centralized Applications and Placement System (CAPS) where there will be only one platform for admission of freshmen and women into the Ghanaian public universities.
This system when established will replace the multiple application system where a potential student will have to buy admission forms for almost all the public universities to ensure admission.
The President hoped that the CAPS will ensure some parity in the distribution of students across the universities and guarantee that the private universities get a fair share of student numbers.
“Moderator, it is in the supreme interest of Private Universities to be on the CAPS platform. PUCG has decided to be on the platform and we are currently working to improve our ICT infrastructure and redesigning our admission forms and processes so that we can be on the system when it is finally rolled out”, he said.
Go, Deliver And Make an Impact
Speaking on the theme “Go, Deliver and Make an Impact”, the President of PUCG charged the graduands to stand out and be worthy ambassadors in times when our societies, communities and work places are plagued with challenges that emanate from unethical behaviors.
“For Ghana to develop we need to eschew selfishness and greed from our national life”, he stated.
“At PUCG we believe that the unprincipled behaviors can be ameliorated when the education delivered to students is tailored in a mode to produce holistic individuals”, he reiterated.
Rev. Prof. Adow Obeng implored the graduands to make an impact wherever they find themselves, and charged them to depend on the values of Honesty, Hard Work, Truth, Determination, Commitment, Excellence, Humility, Integrity, Faith in God and love for humanity.
He said “these are values that will make you Disciplined Leaders as well as Channels of Change in your chosen fields.”
Gratitude
The President expressed gratitude to the Bryan Acheampong Foundation (BAF) which has given scholarship to cover the tuition fees of seventy (70) students reading the Master of Education in Educational Studies Programme.
The seventy (70) beneficiaries of the scholarship are teachers within the Kwahu East Education Directorate who have taught continuously for ten (10) years or more in the District. In addition the Foundation is supporting six (6) undergraduate students with scholarships.
Rev Prof Adow Obeng also appreciated Barclays Ghana Ltd which has also given full scholarship to five (5) students of the University. This is part of the Barclays Tertiary Education Scholarship which was started last academic year.
This year an amount of thirty-three thousand one hundred and twenty-seven Ghana Cedis sixty pesewas (GH₵33,127.60)has been disbursed to the beneficiaries to cover tuition fees, printing laptop, and accommodation of the students, for the 2019/2020 academic year.
The Executives of the National Alumni of the University were also praised for facilitating the donation of one thousand bags of cement towards the completion of the Premier Hostel at the Okwahu Campus.
“Our heartiest appreciation goes to parents and guardians for the sacrifices made and also for entrusting your wards to us for training.We believe the training given to these graduands will bring benefits to you, themselves, and the nation at large”, the President said.