A total of 63 inmates at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison have graduated with undergraduate degrees from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) with the help of its College of Distance Education (CoDE). This achievement illustrates the power of education for providing second chances and rehabilitation opportunities.
As part of the graduating class, three of them earned First Class honors in Bachelor of Education (JHS Education), while 10 achieved a Second Class Upper Division. The outstanding graduating student, Mathew Milluzieh, recorded an exceptional CGPA of 3.8.
Among the grading were 58 males and 5 females, each of whom triumphed over the odds to pursue higher educational opportunities while incarcerated.
To support their educational pursuits, UCC announced a scholarship package for individuals who wish to pursue master’s degrees after completing their prison terms.
In speech delivered on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong by the Pro. Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto, praised the graduates in honor of their determination, acknowledging the challenges posed by studying in prison.
He disclosed that UCC has invested almost ¢2.5 million in waiving tuition fees, hiring tutors, and providing learning materials to help inmates not to be denied education. He told the graduates that “By choosing education, you are making a powerful statement about your commitment to personal growth and positive change. Past circumstances do not define future potential.”
Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, urged the government corporate bodies, and NGOs to give a hand to the programme so that it can be expanded to other correctional institutions across the country.
Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, Deputy Minister of the Interior, commended UCC’s program, expressing that the government would continue to give a hand to the Ghana Prisons Service’s rehabilitation programmes.
Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong encouraged the graduates to see their degrees as a gateway to a brighter tomorrow. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, also praised the graduates, calling them pacesetters.