The Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG) has graduated 248 students representing 95 percent completion rate of students who enrolled on the Master of Education in Educational Studies programme for the 2017/2018 Academic year.
The number consists of 125 males and 123 females. The graduands come from different backgrounds and professional areas, and these include teaching, finance, religion, and administration.
Speaking at the 1st Congregation of the School of Graduate Studies on the theme, “The Role of Graduate Teachers in Educational Reforms,” the President of PUCG, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng disclosed that the Master of Education, Educational Studies Programme was not designed for teachers only.
The President said the programme was intended to provide openings for graduates, who want to be trained as teachers, professional graduate teachers, who want to upgrade their qualifications, and update their skills, as well as those who want to acquire skills as trainers of trainers, administrators, and managers.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng reiterated that the Programme opens a multi-directional career path for students. He said the knowledge and skills acquired make the graduates marketable for other job markets including education policy development, non-profit organizations, private school consultation, social work, corporate training, curriculum development, and writing of content in education areas for business websites.
“I assure everyone that these graduating students have been empowered to become change agents, and effective communicators. They have a flair for diversity, and can motivate others to achieve their goals,” he stated.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng noted that in spite of the many educational reforms Ghana has had in the past 60 years there have been failures in achieving their objectives.
These can be attributed to among others, inconsistency in Government policies, inadequate funding, lack of proper mentoring and most importantly, and unfortunately the menace of basing education reforms on party manifestoes instead of national development agenda.
But the President believes these graduates would play key and significant roles in the country and beyond, in the face of the ever-changing policy reforms in the educational sector.
“These graduates have a role to play to change the course of education in this country and offer its beneficiaries, the knowledge and skills required to pursue their interests, be successful, and contribute to the nation’s economic, social, and political development,” he underscored.
Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng said the graduates have been imbued with the tenets of discipline, honesty, integrity, and faith in God to help them deliver on their mandate irrespective of the odds pitched against them.
Some of the courses taken include Leading and Educational Technologies, School Reform and Effectiveness, Educational Leadership and Policy, Principles and Methods of Teaching, Human Development and Learning, and Guidance and Counseling.
Congratulating the graduands, Rt. Rev. Prof. J. O. Y. Mante, the substantive Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) said the aim of every country is to have disciplined citizenry who can steer the affairs of the nation at all levels and it is in the light of this that the PCG and for that matter the PUCG have made discipline one of its hallmarks of the University’s doctrines.
The Moderator disclosed that in its quest to bring back discipline in the Ghana society the PUCG through its Chaplaincy Unit runs life value courses and various activities to train the individuals on the bases of the 3H – meaning the Head, Heart and the Hand. “These make our trainees stand out from the crowd wherever they go.”
Rt. Rev. Prof. J. O. Y. Mante charged the graduands to always be minded about their core mandate, which is imparting knowledge to students, and be guided by the core values of PUCG – Excellence, Commitment, Integrity, Discipline and Faith in God.
The Moderator implored them to always remember that as teachers they are nation builders and have the capacity to influencing students inside and outside the classroom serving as mentors, and role models with an attitude to always listen to them and help them transform their environment.
The representative of the mentoring institution (University of Cape Coast) for the Master of Education, Prof. Kofi Tsivanyo Yiboe, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education, commended the PUCG for high standards of education and recommended its programmes to those who aspire for University education.
Prof. Kofi Tsivanyo Yiboe encouraged the graduands to take high interest in research as that would make them exceptional in the discharge of their mandate.
He also asked them to think of possibilities of creating their own businesses to help employ others in the quest to reduce the level of unemployment in the country.