The College of Education Studies (CES) has honoured 308 continuing students for their outstanding academic performance at the third edition of its Dean’s Awards Ceremony.
Held under the theme, “Inspiring Excellence: Transforming Education,” the event brought together the College management, faculty members, students, and distinguished guests to celebrate academic distinction, perseverance, and personal growth among students from Levels 200 to 400 across the College's various departments.
The annual Deans’ Awards ceremony was instituted in the 2023/24 academic year to recognize and award high-performing students with a CGPA of 3.6 and above.
The event brought together university management, faculty members, students, and distinguished guests to celebrate academic distinction, perseverance, and personal growth among students from Levels 200 to 400 across the various departments of the College.
The ceremony recognised two categories of students: those who have consistently maintained first-class academic standing and those who have demonstrated significant improvement in their academic performance. By celebrating both sustained excellence and remarkable academic progress, the College reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a culture that values hard work, resilience, determination, and continuous self-improvement.
The Faculty of Educational Foundations had 72 students earning a place on the Dean’s List, with 130 and 106 students from the Faculty of Science and Technology Education and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Education, respectively, securing a place on the Deans’ List.
The Deans’ Awards programme also acknowledged the efforts and resilience of 34 students who did not start on a good note but have made significant improvements over the years, from the first semester of Level 100 to the second semester of Level 300.
This category of award was given to the most improved students in each programme.
The College's best students, Miss Fosua Ekuban, a level 200 student from the Department of Education and Psychology with a CGPA of 4.00; Mr. Gideon Nartey from the Department of Mathematics and ICT Education with a CGPA of 4.00 and a level 400 student, Miss Annabella Mwinkara, also from the Department of Mathematics and ICT Education with a CGPA of 3.96, were acknowledged.
On behalf of the three, Miss Mwinkara delivered an address extending appreciation to faculty and staff members of the College for their academic nurturing.
As a gesture of goodwill, the Education Students Association presented gifts and a cash prize to the Best Students of the College.
The keynote speaker for the ceremony, Prof. Kwame Akyeampong, a Professor of International Education and Development at the Open University, United Kingdom, challenged students to reconsider the conventional understanding of academic excellence and to appreciate education as a transformative force capable of shaping individuals, communities, and nations.
Drawing on his extensive experience in international education and development, he urged students to recognise that they were preparing for a world undergoing rapid technological, economic, and social change. He observed that emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, were transforming the nature of work and redefining the skills required for success.
He encouraged students to adopt a growth mindset, viewing challenges and setbacks as opportunities for learning and development rather than as obstacles to achievement. Excellence, he noted, is not a destination but a continuous process of learning, reflection, and improvement.
Prof Akyeampong further stressed the need for evidence-based decision-making and encouraged educational institutions and students alike to utilise data and research to drive innovation, improve outcomes, and maintain high standards. He also commended the College for establishing the Dean’s Awards, describing recognition and celebration as important tools for reinforcing positive behaviour and inspiring future achievement.
For his part, the Guest of Honour, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) and immediate past Provost of CES-UCC, commended the College for sustaining an initiative that recognised and rewarded academic achievement.
He noted that such recognition served as a powerful motivation for students to pursue excellence and contributed significantly to the development of the human capital required for national development.
While congratulating the award recipients, Prof. Davis challenged them to look beyond academic success and prepare themselves for the realities of an increasingly competitive and dynamic world.
He expressed concern about emerging challenges of indiscipline and changing labour market demands, and urged students to position themselves as innovators and problem-solvers.
In his address, the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Douglas Darko Agyei, underscored the significance of the awards as an important platform for recognising and promoting academic excellence within the College.
Prof. Agyei encouraged the Level 200 and 300 awardees to maintain their academic momentum and return to the awards stage in subsequent years, while urging graduating students to carry the values of discipline, integrity, and excellence into their professional lives.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC
