Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, on Saturday urged fresh students to develop skills in critical thinking and be analytical, as they pursued courses towards their various fields of endeavour.

He said the primary aim for their enrolment was to enable them to study and improve their knowledge base to become better citizens and urged them to channel their energies in that direction.

Prof. Owusu was addressing 13,681 fresh students at the University’s Matriculation ceremony for the 2017/2018 academic year and urged them to become active members of the University.

The students are to pursue courses in Health Sciences; Basic and Applied Sciences; Humanities; and in Education on the Main Campus, Korle-Bu Campus, the Accra City Campus and Distance Learning.

Prof. Owusu called on them to make excellence their watchword as they start their academic journey adding; “Excellence does not come from spending 24 hours a day in the library; nor does it come from spending 12 hours a day on religious activities...”

He said excellence would be achieved by balancing academic work with extra curricula and social activities in the right proportion and abiding by the rules and regulations of the University.

Ms Maame Ama Saa Mensah, of the College of Humanities, who spoke on behalf of the matriculants, urged the University Authorities to improve on the registration system, which posed a major challenge.

She urged her colleagues to take their studies seriously to enable them to graduate with good grades.

“Let us always plan our activities with the end in mind .We have a charge to keep,” she said.

She said the new environment would come with all the “freedom” but that must be used responsibly.