The school graduated a total number of 751 students which includes, Masters, degree, diploma and that of the certificate. Most students from this noble Institution are sought after because of the high research skills, competence and ability to convert theory to practice.

Mr Oduro in his speech said there should be a system to train students as employers and not employees. He congratulated the university for taking a lead in this great directive. Again he proposed the adaptation of “TRIPLE   HELIX MODEL” which serves as a way of creating close interaction between academia, industry and government. This will go a long to improve entrepreneurial growth for effective socio-economic development.

In building an entrepreneurial culture among youths and the society at large, he explained that successive governments have to put in place several policies and programmes to expose students to the rudiments of entrepreneurship and organizational development. He added that to meet contemporary global needs, universities are required to move from “arts-based education to practised system in relation to entrepreneurship and industry.

The speaker emphasized on the need to improve relationships and linkages with industry in addition to taking advantage of government programmes such as National Builders Corps (NBCO), MASLOC, Operations of the Business Advisory Centers (BACs) TVET etc. are keys to awaken the spirit of the Graduands and the youths.

The University graduated a total number of 751 comprising of graduate students, undergraduate as well as certificate and diploma students.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Rector said 2019 has been the year of awards for the Institution as it has won several awards including Most Outstanding and Overall Best Private University, Best Communication Studies School, Best Nursing and Midwifery School. The Rector also won the Best and most outstanding CEO of private Universities among many other awards to mention but a few.

In the year 2020, PUC is going to admit students who wish to study Law as it has put things in place to start Law Programme with experienced, qualified and renowned Law professors in the country and even beyond to lead the Faculty. This is will result in a significant increase in the number of students of the Institute.

Currently, PUC is mentored by three institutions namely University of Ghana, Legon, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST and University Of Cape Coast, UCC.

He made this statement while delivering his welcome address at the 10th Congregation of the University at the Sowutuom campus on Saturday, December 17, 2018.

As part of the address, he said that in spite of the challenges facing Private Tertiary institutions Ghana, PUC with the support of The Church of Pentecost, has always strived to provide and are still providing a holistic and quality approach to education by creating well-balanced graduates with the requisite values, knowledge, skills and aptitude for the purpose of self-realization and for the socio-economic development and transformation of Ghana and Africa in general.

He continued that the University is expanding its academic programmes to cover all areas in the Sciences (particularly, Health and Allied Sciences), Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Arts (STEMA) to maintain our competitive position.

The University has recently introduced B.Sc. Physician Assistantship-Medical and is working towards introducing MSc. Health Planning, Policy and Management, B.Sc. Midwifery, B.Sc. Medical Lab Technology, B.Sc. Industrial Software Engineering, B.Sc. Computing and Business Analytics, B.Sc. Information Systems, Bachelor of Laws (LL. B), B.Sc. Psychology, B.Sc. Demography and Social Statistics, B.Ed. Basic Education and B.Ed. Early Childhood Education.

He mentioned high charges of programme assessment fees, high institutional accreditation fees, high utility charges among others as some of the harsh realities stifling the growth of the private tertiary institutions.

The Rector wants the government to intervene to enable private tertiary institutions to accommodate the high number of students that are expected to graduate from the free Senior High Schools.

Aps. Dr Walker was speaking at the 10th Congregation of the university at Sowutuom where some 820 students graduated with various qualifications in different fields of study: graduates, undergraduates, professional, diplomas and certificates.

The Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration has gained international admiration with its bold and ambitious vision of building “Ghana beyond Aid”, something the Rector commended and called on well-meaning Ghanaians to support.

Also speaking at the graduation ceremony, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of The Church of Pentecost, said that the Church plans to put up prisons, CHPS compounds, and also intensify its sanitation campaign. He added that as part of the five-year vision of the Church of Pentecost (Possessing the nations: Equipping the Church with values and principles of the Kingdom of God to transform society), the Church will build more Senior High Schools in the coming years to sustain the government’s policy of free SHS policy. He believes the gesture will support the government’s development agenda halfway.

Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who was also at the graduation ceremony commended the leadership of the university and charged them to develop a rich curriculum and deliver first class teaching to empower the students.

Dr Bawumia also pledged government’s support to the university’s quest to become autonomous.

He also commended the graduands and urged them to be ambitious in their quest for greatness and not to listen to naysayers who will discourage them from taking initiatives.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi noted that what Africa needs to transform are not men and women with the intellectual knowledge only but selfless men and women with character.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this at the 51¶ŻÂţ College (PUC’s) seventh graduation ceremony in Accra on the theme: “Empowering Students to Serve with Integrity and the Fear of God.”

He said living with integrity was one of the greatest challenges in the society today however, it was one of the key attributes of a great person and Christians.

Apostle Kumi-Larbi said the vast majority of the people were wallowing in poverty and lacked basic necessities of life such as potable water, electricity, healthcare, food and shelter whereas nations in Africa were suffering from leadership crisis in spite of the proverbial religiousity.

“Indeed, over 60 percent of Ghanaians are Christians yet spiritual bankruptcy, corruption, political nepotism, intolerance, violence, homosexuality, internet fraud (sakawa), drug trafficking, and getting-rich-quick mentality are very rife in our society,” he said.

Rev Kumi-Larbi said universities and higher institutions of learning existed to find solution to societal problems through research, critical thinking, creativity and innovation, however, the classical models of university training and discipline had not been able to adequately address the complexities of problems of the 21st century.

He said consequently, faith-based training and discipline had been widely considered as a way of changing the value system of our societies.

He said the PUC, being a Christian institution with a mission to empower students to serve with integrity and the fear of God, was expected to produce graduates of integrity whose belief system, behaviour, conduct and character were dictated by the word of God.

“I pray and hope that the graduands I see before me today have been trained and shaped to the stated standard specifications enshrined in the Mission Statement of our institution, if so, then there is hope for Ghana and the world; then of course, PUC has become a beacon of that hope,” he said.

Reverend Dr Peter Ohene Kyei, Rector of PUC, said there was critical need to pursue shifts in mind set; from mediocrity to excellence, self-serving leadership to sacrificial leadership, corruption to integrity, and above all from selfish ambition to selfless leadership by example.

He said PUC’s focus on being a Christ-centred institution was its common commitment that made them distinctive in a world where many parents were highly concerned not only about the academic attainment of their children but also about their moral character and spiritual growth.
Rev Dr Ohene Kyei said education without character formation grounded on the fear of God was meaningless, wasteful and most at times dangerous, adding that “societal transformation and economic progress has a direct link to the morality and character of the individual.

He takes over from Apostle Dr. Peter Ohene-Kyei who has just completed serving his eight year tenure.
In his acceptance speech, Apostle Dr Walker, commended Apostle Dr Ohene-Kyei for his dedication and service to PUC, and expressed gratitude to the Executive Council of the Church of Pentecost and the College Council for entrusting him with the responsibility.

He said the PUC has positioned itself to become a model Christian University in the sub-region and beyond. PUC has a vision to be a distinguished research oriented Christian University known for excellence in science and technology education and scholarship.

Apostle Dr Walker said aside investing in disability friendly state of the art campus and infrastructure at the Accra City Centre and developing the Oyibi Campus, PUC would also promote academic excellence in teaching, learning, governance research and scholarship.

Apostle Dr Walker said PUC would ensure that its research output benefits society, adding that “we will therefore work closely with our community and seek to promote the standard of living with our research output”. PUC seeks to offer education with a difference, and so it would embed Christian values across all courses, programmes and activities. The University focus on developing the four dimensions of humankind; the soul, the heart, mind, and the body.
He said PUC would need the Executive Council of the Church of Pentecost to promote the University and bring out ideas that would make PUC achieve its dream. Management, Staff and Students also have a part to play and expressed the hope that all would shake up for the task ahead.

“May I now charge the PUC family to move away from apathy to interest and from interest to knowledge then from knowledge to understanding and finally from understanding to action; it is my prayer that God will lead us even beyond our expectation”, he said.

The upsurge of unemployment in Ghana has become a tilting blow for government and other stake holders to battle and in his view, this calls for public and private partnership to ameliorate the situation to its barest minimum.

Speaking on the team “Economic growth and job creation”, he said: “The government alone is incapable of training the nation’s labour force which is increasing exponentially. It is therefore important that private institutions at all levels join in provision of these skills that will be useful to the government for job creation initiatives such as one district one factory project”.

According to him, these other initiatives undertaken by government to enhance the livelihood of the citizenry will go a long way to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment in Ghana which is a threat to the stability of our nation. He therefore charged all segments of society to join forces in fighting this menace. He further implored government to play a leading role by proffering and enacting good legislations as well as providing the essential infrastructure towards the attainment of this goal.

According to Apostle Dr. Walker, “The Universities as a matter of urgency must complement government’s effort for sustainable economic growth and development.” He added that educational institutions should equip students with employable skills that can make them self-employed to avoid the over reliance on government for jobs. He observed that , “ it is becoming increasingly clear that while the proliferation of the Universities, especially the private ones, are driven by the need for access, their survival, growth and profitability would depend largely on the employability of their product”.

As the old adage goes “charity begins at home”, he cited few out of the enumerable measures laid by 51¶ŻÂţ College towards the realization of this goal. This include a review of our curriculum periodically to reflect the exigencies of the times and meet the demands of the industry”.

Touching on the value system of our society he said, moral degeneration which culminates from rapid advancement of technology has brought in its wake a daunting challenge for society. This is evidenced in many forms of social vices in our society. He stated that, “PUC as a faith –based institution, exists to instill moral and ethical values in the students thereby, ensuring a holistic development of their personae. “We have initiatives that are geared towards character development of the students. This way, they will come out as men and women of integrity which is needed for accelerated economic growth.”

These laudable initiatives include College Assembly and mentorship session with the sole aim of imbibing in students a sense of moral rectitude as well as equipping them with entrepreneurial mentality.

The Rector consequently made a clarion call on all stakeholders to team up to proffer appropriate solutions to the spate of unemployment confronting the country which has become almost a nightmare in our socio-economic development.