The College of Distance Education (CoDE) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), has been urged to double its efforts at making technology functional in the delivery of lectures to enable students to obtain degrees with ease.

Professor George Oduro, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC, said this would make the University to render great service to many disadvantaged people, who yearned to acquire high academic qualifications without leaving their jobs.

He was addressing the 17th Matriculation of the College in Tamale for students from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions on Saturday.

The northern sector students formed part of a total of 17,182 students admitted by the CoDE to pursue education and business related programmes at both graduate and undergraduate levels for the 2017/2018 academic year.

Prof. Oduro said many students, especially at the graduate level, were opting for distance learning mode because of its flexibility saying the use of technology would, therefore, enhance the delivery of lectures for students.

During the 16th Matriculation in Tamale last year, the UCC announced that it was to progressively develop a programme to adapt information and communication technology (ICT) to teaching and learning to promote a hybrid of online and face-to-face courses at the University.

Prof. Oduro said the CoDE was also making efforts to shortening the distance students travelled to access university education by opening five new study centres at Kasoa, Nsawam, Sefwi Juaboso, Nkawie and Ada.

He said: “Fourteen existing study centres that were hitherto running only diploma programmes have also been upgraded to run the post diploma programmes in addition.”

He said this was to make university education accessible to those who needed it and to help execute the development agenda to transform the country.

Prof. Oduro advised students to exhibit good academic standards and urged them to manage their time well to successfully cope with the demands of academic work.

He assured them that the University was determined to creating a favourable condition for them to pursue their programmes of study.