By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Nov. 07, GNA – Newly admitted students of the Accra Technical University have been urged to look beyond academic certificates and acquire practical skills, innovation capabilities, and strong ethical values to contribute meaningfully to national development.
They were advised also that higher education should not merely be a pathway to obtaining qualifications but an opportunity to develop competencies, build character, and create solutions to societal challenges.
Professor Amevi Acakpovi, the Vice-Chancellor of ATU, gave advice on Saturday during the matriculation ceremony of the students in Accra.
In all, 8,428 students were matriculated to pursue Master’s, Bachelor of Technology, Higher National Diploma (HND), Diploma, and non-HND programmes for the 2026/2027 academic year.
He said although academic certificates were important evidence of successful completion of programmes of study, they did not necessarily demonstrate an individual’s creativity, professional judgment, practical competence or ability to solve real-world problems.
“Your certificate will tell the world what you have studied here, your competencies will demonstrate in the workplace what you can do, but your impact will reveal the difference your decisions have made,” he said.
He encouraged the students to approach their university education with a clear sense of purpose, ambition, and a commitment to building something greater than themselves.
Using the story of three bricklayers who viewed the same construction task differently, Prof Acakpovi explained that while one saw bricklaying as a routine activity and another as a means of earning a living, the third considered it an opportunity to build a magnificent university where generations of young people would acquire knowledge and transform the world.
He said the story illustrated the importance of purpose; and challenged the students to see their university education as an opportunity to develop their abilities and contribute to society rather than simply attend lectures, write examinations, and obtain certificates.
The Vice-Chancellor stressed the need for practical learning, saying university graduates must be able to translate the knowledge acquired in lecture halls into tangible solutions to industry and societal problems.
He said the university was committed to providing education that was sustainability-driven, industry-oriented, and innovation-based, in line with its vision of becoming a preferred institution in Africa.
He explained that industry-oriented education required students to understand the practical challenges confronting businesses, industries, communities, and public institutions, while innovation-based learning encouraged them to question existing approaches and develop practical solutions.
Prof Acakpovi urged the students not to wait until their final year before developing innovative ideas but to begin observing their surroundings, identifying problems and working with colleagues and lecturers to test possible solutions.
Drawing inspiration from the experiences of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the practical incandescent electric light bulb, he said repeated failures should not discourage students from pursuing their ambitions.
He urged them to cultivate patience, discipline, and determination, noting that temporary disappointments should not be allowed to undermine their long-term aspirations.
Touching on discipline and academic integrity, he said university education was as much about character formation as it was about intellectual development.
He identified honesty, discipline, responsibility, and respect for others as essential values that should guide students throughout their academic and professional lives.
He warned that technical competence without integrity could have serious consequences, citing the potential damage that dishonest professionals could cause to organizations and society.
He also urged the students to use emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), responsibly, explaining that while such tools could support learning, research, writing, and programming, they should complement rather than replace independent thinking and understanding.
He cautioned that students who relied excessively on AI to complete assignments without developing their own knowledge and competencies risked graduating with certificates but lacking the practical abilities required in the workplace.
The students took the matriculation oath administered by the Registrar of the University to officially welcome them into the academic community.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Kodjo Adams
Email address: [email protected]
Caption: pictures attached