He also admonished the youth to resist becoming instru­ments of violence and instead become agents of unity and development, saying, “Let the guns go silent. Let peace speak louder in Bawku. We cannot educate a nation while part of it burns.”

Neenyi Ghartey VII, who is also the Paramount Chief of the Effutu Traditional Area in the Central Region, made the call at the climax of the second session of the 29th congrega­tion of UEW at Winneba on Saturday.

A total of 6,769, comprising 503 postgraduates, including 28 PhDs and 5,958 undergraduate students from the School of Graduate Studies and the Col­lege for Distance Education and e-Learning (CODeL) graduated during the event held over four days.

Those who graduated with PhDs also included the maiden batch of four graduates from the School of Communica­tion and Media Studies of the University.

Neenyi Ghartey VII fur­ther appealed to government agencies, civil society and other stakeholders to deepen efforts towards peacebuilding, describ­ing the situation in Bawku as “not a local issue, but a national responsibility.”

He further stated that “This is a national wound that requires our collective healing. Peace is not weakness. Peace is strength, dignity and vision.”

He urged the graduating class to think innovatively, act ethically and lead com­passionately in their chosen careers. “Go forth and be the difference. Be the embodiment of the knowledge, values and vision that UEW has instilled in you,” he charged them.

He further commended the current administration for the role it was playing towards the promotion on inclusive edu­cation by supporting policies that ensure equal access for all, including marginalised and disadvantaged.

He expressed the com­mitment of the university to partner with the government to realise the ambitious goal set in the teachers’ education sector, saying, “UEW stands ready to contribute its exper­tise, resources and innovative skills to support your vision of transforming Ghana into a hub of academic excellence and innovation”

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, in his address, expressed the commit­ment of the management of the institution to strengthening the university’s position as a leader in teacher education, dig­ital transformation and commu­nity development.

The university, he indicated, was aligning its distance edu­cation operations with recent Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) directives.

To that end, he said, the uni­versity had signed Memoranda of Understanding with select colleges of education and was working to operationalise its network at study centres across the country to ensure compli­ance, quality and innovation in distance learning.

Prof. Mitchual further said that, the university had invested in high-speed, multifunctional computers and increased the number of examination officers to ensure the timely processing of academic results.