The Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Domwini Dabire Kuupole, has observed the university’s move for gender parity in enrollment is gaining grounds.
He said the gap between males and females narrows every year in the school.
His observation was grounded on a gender-based analysis of enrollment into various programmes at the university’s College of Distance Education (CoDE) for the 2015/2016 academic year, which showed a total female enrollment of 8,205 as compared to that of 10,634 males.
Speaking at the Southern Zone/Third session of the 15th Matriculation of CoDE students held in Cape Coast, Prof Kuupole described the statistics as “an interesting and complex balance” and “an active competition”.
He congratulated the females especially, for taking keen interest in higher education every year and urged them to encourage their counterparts to resist social barriers and also enroll accordingly.
This year’s enrollment, according to the vice chancellor also revealed that though the entry requirement for admission is being made more stringent, more applicants are making efforts to enroll.
Out of a total of 18,830 students admitted, 14, 206 are pursing various programmes in education with the remaining 4,624 in business related programmes.
Prof Kuupole advised the students to utilise the opportunity to improve themselves both academically and socially, bearing in mind that “education is the best weapon against poverty, discrimination and ignorance”.
He indicated that the university had increased its study centres nationwide with the latest including various locations in Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Western and Ashanti regions while work on other centres in other regions are progressing steadily.
He assured students of the university’s commitment to solving challenges such as late release of examination results, hardships faced in the payment of fees and the difficulties they encounter in trying to reach the colleges to seek redress to their problems.
