The College of Distance Education (CoDE), University of Cape Coast (UCC), has rewarded 340 students at its maiden Provost’s Awards, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to academic excellence.
In all, 111 students from the regular distance programme, 207 students from the Switch Programme, and 22 students from the Non-Residential Programme were honoured.
The event, which was on the theme “Excellence Beyond Boundaries: Celebrating Outstanding Academic Achievement," was aimed at recognising and motivating high-performing students who obtained a CGPA of 3.6 and above at the end of each academic year.
The overall best students, twenty-seven in number, received certificates of honour and a plaque, while the others received certificates of honour. Three study centres: Twifo Praso, Breman Asikuma, and Yilo Krobo - Somanya received awards as the overall best centres, having recorded no examination malpractice in the 2025/2026 academic year.
The guest speaker, who is also the President of the UCC Alumni Association, Mr Samuel Danso Akoto, recounted his personal experiences during his days at the UCC distance education and outlined important principles for success.
He congratulated the awardees and also urged those who were not on the provost’s list to redouble their efforts in the next academic year.
"To our award recipients, you embody the very spirit of the theme. Your achievements are proof that excellence is not limited by where you start, but by how far you are willing to go. You inspire all of us to aim higher, to push together, and to believe that greatness lies within reach," he added.
He described the theme as apt, insisting that "Beyond Boundaries, is not just a verse. It is a new reality for every student who has dared to pursue knowledge despite distance, circumstances, or constraints. It reminds us that excellence is not confined to traditional pathways."
Samuel Akoto Esq. encouraged the current distance students not to feel inferior to other students but to take their studies seriously to reach greater heights.
"To the current students, let this day remind you that your journey is not confined by obstacles but by how you overcome them. I dare say to you that it does not matter the route through which you receive your education, whether by distance or through traditional learning, the most important thing is to graduate from this university, and you can go as far as your dreams can take you. As a distance student, you should never allow anyone to look down on you," he noted.
"Never feel inferior to the traditional university students because you are not inferior. All you need to do is to believe in yourself and that you can compete with the rest of the world and still win,” he said.
Mr. Akoto called on the University to be intentional about giving opportunities to distance students in every aspect of its programmes and activities. He implored the authorities to consider bringing on board the Distance Education Association of Ghana President as a member of the governing council to articulate the peculiar situation of distance students in decision-making and policy formulation.
"The law, however, is a living organism capable of growth. Therefore, future amendments should consider such situations to take care of changing times," he noted.
He paid glowing tribute to the staff of CoDE who had contributed immensely towards his academic and professional growth.
The Provost of CoDE, Prof. Anokye Mohammed Adam, in his address, commended the awardees for their unparalleled academic performance.
According to him, the theme for the event was timely, stressing: “It reminds us that excellence must not be limited by distance, location, age, work schedule, family responsibility, financial difficulty, or mode of learning. Excellence must go beyond boundaries.”
He said CoDE would continue to serve students via different modes of learning, including the regular distance programmes, the non-residential programmes, the switch programme, and other flexible and emerging modes of study.
Prof. Adam maintained that each mode had its own demands, but the standards remained the same per discipline: integrity, commitment, and academic seriousness.
He indicated that in an era of Artificial Intelligence, which was changing teaching, learning, and assessment, CoDE was developing a tool codenamed “Kanokware” (to wit, speak the truth) to help strengthen academic ownership and assessment integrity by allowing students to demonstrate that they understand and can defend the work submitted in their names.
“The aim is not to punish students. The aim is to protect honest learners, support fair assessment, and preserve the credibility of our qualifications. As a college that operates across different learning modes and locations, we must continue to build systems that promote trust,” he stressed.
Chairing the occasion, a former Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Prof. John Nelson Buah, lauded the efforts of the deserving students and charged them not to relent in their efforts to justify their inclusion in the next Provost awards ceremony.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC
