By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, April 29, GNA – The University for Development Studies (UDS) has held its graduation ceremony with a call on graduands to embody the University’s mission to lead with integrity, excellence, and compassion.
The event, which was preceded by the 7th edition of the University’s Africa Leadership Lecture Series under the theme: “Redefining Leadership for Africa’s Future: Ethics and Transformation”, saw a total of 2,630 graduands receive postgraduate, and undergraduate degrees and diplomas.
Of the total, the postgraduate cohort comprised 372 graduands including 26 PhD recipients, 306 Master’s degrees and 40 postgraduate diploma awardees.
At the undergraduate level, 2,258 students graduated, out of which 1,204 were females (53.3%) and 1,054 were males (46.7%).
Additionally, 721 students graduated with diplomas comprising 364 males (50.5%) and 357 females (49.5%).
In terms of class honours, nine graduands attained first class honours, 774 were awarded second class upper division, 730 second class lower division, and 24 third class honours.
Professor Seidu Al-Hassan, Vice-Chancellor of UDS, speaking during the event, expressed satisfaction at the near gender parity amongst this year’s graduating class and commended all students for their hard work, dedication, and resilience.
He said the near-equal gender representation was no accident but the result of deliberate policies, thoughtful leadership, and an unwavering commitment to access and inclusion.
Professor Al-Hassan touched on some achievements saying “We celebrated a groundbreaking achievement when 10 young women graduated from our Domestic Electrical Wiring Training Programme under the auspices of the Energy Technology Center of the School of Engineering in collaboration with WEENorth and the ALINEA Foundation. This initiative shattered gender stereotypes and equipped women with vital skills for Ghana’s energy sector.”
He said as part of efforts to create a more conducive environment for teaching, learning, and research, the partially completed Nursing and Midwifery Block on the Tamale Campus had already begun easing congestion by providing additional lecture halls and office spaces.
He announced that “Most notably, the Silver Jubilee Building’s capacity allowed us to meet the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s requirements to establish the Faculty of Law, which has officially welcomed its pioneer class ushering in a new era of justice and legal education in Northern Ghana.”
Mr Abdulai Salifu, Chairman, Governing Council of UDS praised the graduands for their dedication to excellence and innovation and urged them to be true ambassadors of the University.
GNA
EA/KOA