According to her, access to public institutions was limited, considering the number of senior high school graduates being produced yearly, so a way must be found to help these students to get access to private universities by extending the students loan scheme to private university students.

Mrs Wood said this in a speech read on her behalf by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Anim Yeboah, at the graduation of 248 students from the Regent University College of Science and Technology in Accra last Saturday.

The students were awarded with various degrees from the university’s School of Informatics, Engineering and Technology, School of Business and Leadership, Graduate School and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Financing tertiary education

Mrs Wood said financing tertiary education was a major challenge for any government and nation “as parents also go through a lot to be able to provide good quality education for their children”.

She stated that because private universities must recover cost, their charges were expensive and, therefore, “a way must be found to provide education for disadvantaged brilliant children.”

The Chief Justice further charged universities to run courses which were relevant to the 21st century and which would encourage students to explore issues in a curiosity-driven culture and environment.

Values

In a keynote address, Dr Trebi-Ollennu Ashitey, the Product Delivery Manager of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, USA, called on the graduates to let their values be represented in their day-to-day decisions, saying “this is one of the major challenges in Africa”.

He urged them to be well-balanced in their decision making, saying that decisions they made should not gratify themselves but should be in the interest of the larger populace.

Dr Ashitey advised them to be ambitious in life but also “know when to walk away in life when the need arises.”

Rev. Prof. E. Kingsley Kwabena Larbi, Founder and President of Regent University, delivering his address at the graduation ceremony. PICTURES: PATRICK DICKSON

Transformational leaders

The President and Founder of the  Regent University, Rev. Prof. Emmanuel K. Larbi,  said “over the past decade, we have faithfully tried to pursue our vision to raise highly skilful, visionary, ethical and God-fearing leaders to function as change agents.  Through this single-minded agenda, the University College has shaped the minds of many and influenced segments of the African society, particularly Ghana.”

He said it was the belief of the university that students in the country should be given the kind of education that empowered people to live life to the full, take charge of their own destinies and also contribute positively to the development of the communities and nations of which they are a part.   

“As an institution, we insist that the interest of our students must go beyond the mere passing of examinations and getting degrees. We expect them to seek a higher purpose, a desire to be empowered to become people of influence, poised to impact generations.  We believe good education must go beyond the mere acquisition of facts and figures; good education must equip people to be able to use the knowledge acquired, to transform lives, change society and to bring them closer to their maker. This is the kind of leaders Regent is committed to raising”, he added.

Various awards were presented to deserving students who excelled in their fields of study.

Miss Chinonye Ogochwuku Eke was presented with four awards, including the Overall Best Citation.