Presbyterian University Graduates 661 Students

661 students have graduated from the
Presbyterian University College, Ghana
(PUCG) for the year 2016 at a ceremony at
its Okwahu Campus. The University which
is accredited to the National Accreditation Board is
affiliated to University of Ghana, University of Cape
Coast and the Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology.
The students who graduated from the following
degree programmes: Business Administration,
Business Economics, Agribusiness, Rural and
Community Development, Environmental and
Natural Resources Management, ICT, Mathematics,
Nursing and Physician Assistantship comprised 352
males and 309 females.
55 students of the total number of graduating
students got First Class Honours (39 males and 16
females); Second Class Upper Division: 289
students (142 males and 147 females); Second
Class Lower division: 217 students (116 males and
101 females)
There were 18 awards for some of the graduating
students for excellent performance. Out of this
figure, female students won 10 of the awards.
Financial Challenges to Private Universities
The President, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng
noted that the financial distress of the private
universities is compounded by the payment of huge
sums of monies to Mentoring Institutions and
Regulatory bodies.
He said the affiliation charges of the Mentoring
Institution and the accreditation fees of the
Regulatory body are too high that very little is left
for infrastructural development, faculty and staff
development and training, libraries, attraction and
retention of staff and research.
The President of PUCG posited that operating a
tertiary institution is an expensive enterprise.
“There is the need for the existing private
universities to think of mergers-the merger of
common minded universities or universities with
same historical roots are to merge to ensure their
survival”.
Government Policies
Rev. Prof. E. Adow Obeng appealed to the National
Accreditation Board to put a cap on the
establishment of new private universities to enable
the already established private universities to
survive and improve on their delivery, except those
to be set up in the areas of science, technology,
health and medical sciences.
The PUCG President implored the Government to
review its policy on taxing private universities.  I
pray that some political party will make this an item
in its manifesto-No tax for private universities.
“The killer to these all is the payment of tax, on
non-existent profits, at the end of the financial year
to the taxman”, he bemoan the situation.
The policy of non-employment of graduate nurses
by government health institutions poses a problem
especially to private universities many of which
have Departments of Nursing. In fact, this policy is
affecting admissions into these departments.
He said there are many vacancies in the health
sector than the number of graduates coming out of
the Departments of Nursing in the country. “What is
the need for this policy? We call on government to
reverse this policy”, he questioned.
University programmes
The President informed the congregation about
PUCG receiving accreditation for two new
programmes in Education – Bachelor of Education
(Business Studies) and Bachelor of Education
(Social Studies) – and said these two departments
are the foundation departments of the Faculty of
Education.
Academic programmes that have been developed
by the University to commence soon are MA in
International Development, MED in Educational
Studies, MSc in Environmental Health and
Sanitation, and MSc in Natural Resources
Management.
The others are MSc in Forensic Audit and
Investigation, MSc in Financial Risk Management
and MA in Public Relations and Corporate
Communications BSc. Actuarial Science, BSc.
Optometry, Law, and BSc. Midwifery.
Ms. Emily Asaa Addison, a BSc. Mathematics
student of the Faculty of Science and Technology
was adjudged the Overall Best Student. She also
received the Overall Best Female Graduating
Student and Faculty Best Student Awards.
Addressing the Congregation, the President of
PUCG, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Adow Obeng thanked
the parents and guardians and said “It is your
confidence in us, three or four years ago to entrust
your sons, daughters and wards to us for training
that has resulted in today’s ceremony”.
He was confident that the graduands will excel in
life because the University has invested a lot in
Christian moral values and excellent academic
teaching in their training to ensure that they indeed
become agents of transformation in the Ghanaian
society and the world at large.