A former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. George K.T Oduro, has implored students not to be carried away by religious liberty on campus to sway them from their studies.

Rather, he told them to develop good study habits and time-management skills toward achieving their purpose for enrolling in their respective programmes at the university.

Prof. Oduro made the comments when he took his turn to share his life experience with an audience of students at the Human Library of the Sam Jonah Library at the University of Cape Coast .

He was addressing students on overcoming challenges that undermine their efforts while studying.

Using himself as an example, the former Pro Vice-Chancellor said during his days as a student of UCC, he indulged in numerous religious activities but did not allow that to overshadow his academic work.

Prof. Oduro (in UCC@60 fabric) in a group shot with staff of the Sam Jonah Library and guests

"...I asked myself, am I here (UCC) to be trained as an Evangelist or minister of the Gospel? No! I am here to study. So, I should prioritize my studies while I find ways of not neglecting my Christian activities. So, where there are studies, I make sure I fulfill that before attending outreach programmes. But I never compromised my personal prayer life" he recalled.

Prof. Oduro, while urging students to form a network amongst themselves to learn from one another, also advised the students to be guided by their schedules to realise and optimise intended objectives.

The former Pro Vice-Chancellor underlined the need for students to be motivated to have the " I can do spirit" to achieve excellence in life.

He called on them to embrace success with humility and commitment to make a difference in life.

Prof. Oduro encouraged students to know their strengths and weaknesses to overcome difficult situations in their studies.

" Leverage your strengths at every opportunity and find ways of addressing the weaknesses," he continued.

Human Library

The Human Library is a scientific service in libraries across the globe designed to build a positive framework for conversations through dialogue. It is a library where a person, instead of a book, is borrowed to listen to life stories.  The goal is to aid participants in understanding the different journeys taken in life and how to navigate situations encountered.

The initiative took off in May 2023 at the University of Cape Coast.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC