The University of Cape Coast (UCC) Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) has raised its pass mark for admission from 45 to 50 per cent for the 2012/2013 academic year.
This is part of measures to enhance distance learning education and ensure that students acquire "respectable class",
Consequently, admissions restricted the number of passes to the most capable candidates to make it more competitive, thereby decreasing the number of students who could have been admitted by 10 percent.
Professor Domwini Kuupole, Vice Chancellor of UCC, made this known on Monday in Cape Coast, during the matriculation of 10,722 students admitted by the Centre throughout the 10 regions of the country to pursue courses in Education and Business.
He said plans were underway to upgrade the Centre into a College for Continuing Education before the commencement of the 2013/2014 academic year to empower the Centre to wean itself from the Faculty of Education.
Pro. Kuupole pledged that UCC would work hard to ensure that distance education delivery was raised "to the next level" in Ghana as had never been seen before, after it had been upgraded into a College.
Some 8,140 of the total number of students admitted will offer courses in Education whilst 2,582 will study Business related courses.
Of the number, 4,688 are pursuing Diploma in Education whilst 1,911 are pursuing Psychology and Foundations of Education, 598 are pursuing Diploma in Commerce, 679 are reading Diploma in Management Studies and 1,218 are reading Bachelor's Degree in Basic Education.
Prof. Kuupole said since the University has limited facilities on campus to admit students into the regular programmes of study, distance learning should be seen as a better option as it broadens opportunities and enables one to study while at post.
He said other measures taken by the Centre to enhance distance learning include the re-training of all course tutors throughout the country as well as all Regional Resident Tutors, Coordinators of Units and Sectional Heads of the Centre.
Prof Kuupole said mode of delivery of programmes of the Centre will also be improved through the use of teleconferencing, radio broadcasts, e-learning and internet facilities, adding that construction of permanent study centres in all the Regions were on course.
He urged the matriculates to accept responsibilities and challenges, take advantage of opportunities and build a network for their future while planning their lives and times of study well in order to achieve success.