Be good ambassadors of University of Ghana – Matriculants told

Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana (UG), has urged newly admitted students to uphold the university’s values and maintain its reputation as they embark on their academic journey.

In a speech read on her behalf at the 2024/2025 matriculation ceremony in Accra, Prof. Amfo said their actions and inactions would reflect the image of the premier university, emphasizing the need for discipline, excellence and integrity in all aspects of their lives. “As students, you are now ambassadors of the University of Ghana. Wherever you go, remember that your actions and inactions reflect the reputation of this esteemed institution. I urge you to uphold the image of the University and actively participate in its academic, social, and cultural life,” she said.

The ceremony was held on Saturday for first-year students at the College of Education, with similar events simultaneously organized for students at the colleges of Humanities, Health Sciences, Basic and Applied Sciences, and Cross-Disciplinary Studies. Prof. Amfo advised the students to familiarize themselves with the university’s regulations, stressing that adherence to the rules and ethical conduct were crucial for maintaining a positive academic environment.

Success at the university, she noted, extended beyond academic performance, encompassing skill acquisition, embodiment of values and development of resilience. The Vice Chancellor encouraged them to take advantage of the diverse opportunities available, including mentorship, leadership training, and extracurricular engagements, to develop holistically. Prof. Amfo assured the matriculants that their decision to enroll at the UG was a step in the right direction and highlighted its Five-year Strategic Plan (2024-2029).

The Plan focuses on Transformative Student Experience, Impactful Research, Commitment to faculty and Staff, Engagement and Partnerships, and Sustainable Resource Mobilization and Stewardship. Some initiatives aimed at enhancing the students’ experience are the university’s digitalization agenda, leading to the refurbishment of lecture halls with modern technology to improve teaching and learning. She mentioned the “One Student, One Laptop” (1S1L) initiative, which had, so far, provided nearly 500 laptops to brilliant but needy students to support their academic work.

The Vice Chancellor acknowledged the persistent challenges with student accommodation, noting that the demand for on-campus housing far exceeded available space. She, however, assured students that management was working tirelessly to address the issue through various expansion projects. “The Diamond Jubilee Hall, which has capacity for 1,256 students, was commissioned just over a week ago. It is ready for occupation and the process to allocate rooms to students through a random bed allocation has been completed,” she said. “Ongoing projects such as the Pan-African Doctoral Academy Hostel, and the Ghana Universities Staff Superannuation Scheme (GUSSS) Students’ Hostel project are part of our efforts to expand capacity.”

In the meantime, the university had implemented a randomized bed allocation system to ensure fairness and transparency in the distribution of spaces in traditional halls, with 3,941 fresh students benefiting from this system. Partnership with private hostels was also being explored to provide off-campus housing alternatives, Prof Amfo said. She highlighted the availability of financial assistance for students in need, pointing out that the UG, through its internally generated funds, had awarded over 280 tuition scholarships in the previous academic year.

Additionally, more than 2,000 students had benefitted from external scholarship partnerships, while the Students’ Representative Council had funded 238 scholarships for students unable to pay their academic facility user fees. She encouraged the students to take their health and well-being seriously, urging them to seek support from the Student Clinic and the Careers and Counselling Directorate whenever necessary. To ensure their safety on campus, she said the students must be security-conscious and make use of the university’s 24-hour security services.

Source: GNA