The Minister of Labour, Employment and Job Creation, Emmanuel Kwadwo Agyekum, has challenged graduates of tertiary institutions to distinguish themselves through excellence, integrity and service as they enter the world of work.
He said academic certificates could open opportunities for graduates, but their competence, character and the quality of their work would determine how far they progressed.
Mr Agyekum, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nkoranza South, made the remarks at the 34th Graduation Ceremony of the Valley View University, where a total of 1,156 students graduated from the university's three campuses.
The ceremony, held on August 30, was on the theme: “Grounded in Excellence and Integrity, Commissioned to Serve.”
The graduates comprised 237 students from the Kumasi Campus, 219 from the Techiman Campus and 700 from the Main Campus.
Of the total, 1,069 received undergraduate degrees, while 87 were awarded postgraduate degrees.
Work and character
Addressing the graduates, Mr Agyekum said the graduates work would become their identity in the world beyond the university.
“A signature tells people that you stand behind what you have signed. In the same way, your work will become your signature. People will learn what to expect when your name is attached to something,” he said.
He urged the graduates to take every responsibility seriously, meet deadlines and maintain high standards, regardless of the size of the task assigned to them.
University’s development
The Vice-Chancellor of VVU, Professor Daniel Ganu, who presided over his first graduation ceremony, congratulated the Class of 2026 for persevering through the challenges of academic life.
He said the university's education went beyond the acquisition of academic and professional qualifications.
Professor Ganu announced that the university was working towards introducing new programmes in Law, Cybersecurity, Allied Health Sciences, Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
He appealed to the government to consider a more inclusive tuition-support policy for Ghanaian students in private universities, adding that interventions such as the No-Fee-Stress policy should also be extended to students in private tertiary institutions.
The Overall Best Graduating Student for the Class of 2026, Bright Preprah Yeboah, was honoured with a citation and a laptop.
