He said education continued to remain the most effective means of fostering social-economic transportation.
He said students needed to obtain the necessary digital tools and abilities to tap into technology and digitalization to pursue excellence.

Prof. Avoke made the call in an address he delivered at a matriculation ceremony for fresh students at its College for Distance Education and e-learning (CODel) for 2022/2023 year academic year.

He informed the gathering that CODeL continued to advance its activities to provide top-notched education aimed at redirecting Ghana’s efforts at rapid economic and social development, as well as to make its products fully responsive to the realities and exigencies of contemporary Ghana and West African sub-region.

The VC, announced that to provide flexible learning spaces for students in the country, UEW had opened two new study centers at Dormaa Ahenkro Senior High School and Kofi Adjei Senior High School at Fawoade to bring to 44 the total number of centres offering quality education across the country.

“UEW is pleased to matriculate the first batch of students numbering 84 from Dormaa Ahenkro and 26 from Kofi Adjei study centers, who have been enrolled in the undergraduate distance education programmes at the new centers”, he stated.

Prof. Avoke indicated that, plans were under way to create study Centres at the College of Languages Education at Ajumako and in the newly created regions in the country to bring quality education to the doorsteps of students in those areas.

It will also introduce Master of Education in Basic Education, Master of Education in Early Grade and MBA programmes by distance next academic year.

He stated that when the new programmes were introduced, it will provide opportunity for graduates in the Basic and Early Child Education who were willing to pursue further education but due to reason of distance and other factors, could not do so.

He disclosed that at the close of receiving application for the period, they received a total of 12,657 applications and out of the figure, 11,689 were admitted, adding that at the close of registration however, 8,745 applicants registered for various diploma, post-graduate, first-degree, and postgraduate programmes.

The students who registered at the close of registration were made of 5,204 males representing 59 percent and 3,541 females representing 40.5 percent.

Prof. Avoke further stated that, 576 students representing 6.6 percent registered for diploma programmes, 4,061 for post-diploma programmes representing 46.4 percent, 3,253 for first-degree programmes representing 37.2 percent and 855 students representing 9.8 percent for post post-graduate programmes.

Advising the matriculants, he said matriculation ceremonies are statutory processes that confer membership of the university on fresh students after they have fulfilled the academic prerequisites for admission by talking the matriculation oath, which binds them to abide by all the rules and regulations as indicated in the students’ handbook and other authorized documents of the university.

“Gone are the days when reading and writing proficiency were the basic requirements to be a literate citizen, but in the high-tech world today, literacy also encompasses media and digital literacy abilities” he stated.

He therefore encouraged them to take inspiration from those who have gone ahead of them and work hard to attain laurels for themselves and the university which was governed by rules and regulations.