UEW 30th Congregation: Vice-Chancellor Highlights Growth and National Priorities
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) on Wednesday, 26th November, 2025, commenced the First Session of its 30th Congregation at the Jophus Anamuah-Mensah Conference Centre.
The four-day ceremony, expected to conclude on Saturday, 29th November, 2025, drew together traditional authorities, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, guardians, members of the media and thousands of excited graduands.
Delivering his address to open the ceremony, Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, Vice-Chancellor, acknowledged the continued support of the government in advancing the University’s developmental agenda. Prof. Mitchual expressed gratitude for the President’s leadership, particularly his commitment to transparency and the fight against illegal mining, describing these efforts as essential to Ghana’s socio-economic development. He assured the gathering that UEW would continue to provide research-based insights and constructive feedback to support national progress, especially in areas where academic expertise is required.
The Vice-Chancellor also commended the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, for the recent directive encouraging the use of Ghanaian languages as the medium of instruction from kindergarten to primary three. He noted that the policy had generated important national conversations on pedagogy and learning, adding that UEW, as the nation’s leading teacher education institution, was fully prepared to support its implementation through its strengths in language education, curriculum development and teacher preparation.
Reflecting on UEW’s history and mandate, Prof. Mitchual described the University as an institution built on resilience, purpose and service. He recalled that the University’s establishment from the merger of seven diploma-awarding colleges had created a unified centre of excellence in teacher education. “Over the years, UEW has expanded its academic programmes, deepened its research output and strengthened its national relevance,” he stated.
The Vice-Chancellor highlighted that UEW is committed to transforming knowledge into a tool for empowerment for both current and future generations. The institution continues to shape Ghana’s education sector through its efforts in teaching, research, policy engagement and service to society.
Prof. Mitchual then turned attention to key developments highlighted in the University’s Annual Report. He announced that the rehabilitation of internal roads across UEW campuses was progressing steadily with significant government support. He also disclosed that the University would soon commence the construction of a mini sports stadium to promote student fitness, sports development and campus life.
“Work on several major academic facilities is ongoing and progressing well, including a new Graduate School Block, a Faculty Block for the Ajumako Campus and three-storey study centres intended for the College of Distance and e-Learning students at Cape Coast, Kumasi and Kukurantumi,” he disclosed.
The Vice-Chancellor further outlined several forward-looking development plans intended to enhance teaching and learning and improve the staff and student experience. These included a modern Business School Complex, a dedicated structure to expand the operations of the College of Distance and e-Learning, a Senior Members and Staff Lounge to enrich professional collaboration, a state-of-the-art library complex to support research and an expanded Inclusive Basic School.
He indicated that the University also intends to construct a comprehensive ICT Complex to accelerate digital transformation, refurbish the Biology and Physics laboratories to strengthen science education and create new green spaces to promote recreation and campus beautification. These developmental aspirations, he stressed, reflected the University’s commitment to continuous growth and a transformative academic environment.
Touching on progress in the health sector, the Vice-Chancellor announced that the newly constructed UEW Hospital had become fully operational on 4th June, 2025. He expressed profound gratitude to World Medical Relief for its donation of medical equipment and to the Ghana Health Service for providing additional equipment valued at GH₵1 million. According to him, these contributions would significantly boost the hospital’s capacity to deliver quality healthcare to the University community and the wider public.
Prof. Mitchual also highlighted the University’s exceptional achievements in grants and research development during 2025. He cited, among others, a major Erasmus+ grant worth €1 million secured by ten researchers for the TRUCE project as well as a $400,000 Seeding Labs grant awarded to three faculty members to strengthen the University’s scientific laboratories. He mentioned a UNESCO Ghana grant received by nine researchers for work aimed at promoting public understanding of the nation’s historic forts and castles.
Additional support came through an Erasmus+ grant to enhance the training of sign-language interpreters, an Erasmus+ bioeconomy grant to promote sustainable entrepreneurship and two major internationally funded environmental research projects led by UEW investigators. He noted that these achievements were evidence of an institution increasingly recognised on the global research stage.
The Vice-Chancellor further recalled the launch of the University’s 2025–2030 Corporate Strategic Plan earlier in the year, describing it as a bold roadmap built around core commitments to academic excellence, effective governance, equity and inclusion, environmental and financial sustainability and infrastructural growth. He assured stakeholders that UEW was committed to implementing the Strategic Plan rigorously to translate its goals into measurable institutional achievements.
Prof. Mitchual then presented the graduating statistics for the First Session of the 30th Congregation. A total of 8,288 students would graduate across the four days. He explained that the majority of the awards were bachelor's degrees, with a smaller proportion receiving diplomas and postgraduate degrees.
He reported that the bachelor-degree cohort included a significant number of high-performing students, with notable representation in the First Class, Second Class Upper and Second Class Lower divisions. He outlined how the various faculties and schools would present their graduands from Wednesday through Saturday, culminating in the presentation of postgraduate degrees including doctoral, MPhil, MBA, MA, executive master’s, and MTech, among others, on the final day.
Turning his attention to the graduands, the Vice-Chancellor congratulated them for their dedication, hard work and resilience. He acknowledged the crucial role of parents, guardians, spouses, faculty, administrators and staff whose commitment and sacrifices had contributed to students’ academic success.
He encouraged the graduands to uphold the University’s motto, “Education for Service,” and to demonstrate honesty, humility, respect and professionalism in their future endeavours. He urged them to step confidently into their various professions as ambassadors of UEW, ready to shape the future of Ghana with skill, integrity and purpose.
