Cape Coast, Dec. 23, GNA - The University of Cape Coast (UCC's) Distance Learning Programme has admitted 7,444 students, the highest since its inception nine year ago, for the 2009/2010 academic year. The students, who were selected from over 10,000 applications, would undertake various degree courses.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who announced this at the University's matriculation on Tuesday, said the Centre for Continuing Education, which runs the Programme, admitted persons from all the ten regions of the country.

She, however, noted that students admitted from the three Northern Regions and the Volta Region were few and appealed to parents and guidance in those areas to assist their wards to have the requisite qualification to access Programme every year.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said this year female admission also fell from 40 per cent to 37 per cent and urged as many women as possible to access university education.

The Vice Chancellor said the increasing number of admissions to the Programme had started posing some challenges to the Centre, but assured that adequate measures have been put in place to ensure that quality education was not compromised.

Some of the measures adopted included increase in lecturers' enrolment to teach various courses at all the 33 study centres throughout the country while course modules prepared by UCC lecturers were also available. In addition, she said, there were regular visits by lecturers to inspect and monitor teaching activities, regular monthly quizzes and weekly monitoring of face to face sessions. Prof Opoku-Agyemang said the Centre had introduced new academic programmes such as a four-year program in Marketing and a three-year Diploma and Degree programmes in Psychology and Foundations of Education. He announced that next year a Bachelor of Science Degree would be introduced.

She said it was the vision of UCC to establish permanent study centres in all the ten regions, which would eventually become colleges of the University.

As a result, he said, a five-year strategic plan had been drawn by the Centre to develop its human resource base to occupy academic positions at the Centre.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang urged students to treat each other with respect and civility and exhibit intellectual maturity by accepting divergent views. He said they should study ahead of time and make effective use of their tutors by contacting them for assistance to enable them cope with the stress associated with their studies.