UEW Marks Christmas with 2025 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
The University Chaplaincy in collaboration with the Department of Music Education on Thursday, 18th December, 2025, hosted the 2025 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at the School of Creative Arts Theatre, University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The event drew together management, staff, students and invited guests for an evening of scripture, music and reflection at the close of an eventful academic year.
The annual Christian festival, a cherished tradition on the UEW calendar, blended solemn readings from the Holy Scriptures with rich choral and instrumental music, creating an atmosphere of reverence, celebration and thanksgiving. The programme underscored the University’s commitment to nurturing spiritual growth with academic excellence within the campus community.
Electrifying musical renditions by various staff bodies provided a vibrant highlight of the evening. These included performances by the Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union of the Trade Union Congress, Ghana (TEWU of TUC-GH), the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).
The performances reflected unity and collaboration among staff unions while showcasing the depth of musical talent within the University.
Further to the festival was a guest performance by the Ebenezer Methodist Cathedral Choir, Winneba, whose harmonious and uplifting renditions captivated the audience and reinforced the sacred essence of the Christmas season.
In keeping with the tradition of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, nine distinguished personalities from the University community took turns to read the lessons, tracing the biblical narrative from prophecy to the birth of Christ. Among them were Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and Mrs. Ekua Abedi-Boafo, Registrar.
Delivering his Christmas message, Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, Vice-Chancellor of UEW, called on members of the University community to pause, reflect and give thanks for the grace that had sustained them through what he described as a demanding year. He noted that the festival was not merely the observance of a Christian tradition but an opportunity to listen deeply to scripture, music and the questions of purpose and responsibility that define the University’s mission.
Drawing inspiration from the Christmas story, Prof. Mitchual emphasised humility, quiet strength and hope, stressing that progress at UEW in 2025 had been achieved through steady and purposeful effort rather than spectacle. He highlighted key institutional gains including strengthened academic quality through targeted capacity building, enforcement of ethical and professional standards, expansion of research that supports national development and the growth of local and international partnerships.
The Vice-Chancellor further commended staff and students for their resilience and dedication, noting that despite pressures and limited resources, the University community remained committed to service, innovation and institutional stability. He also acknowledged challenges encountered during the year, urging the community to view limitations as opportunities to sharpen priorities and renew purpose in line with the lessons symbolised by the manger in the Christmas narrative.
He expressed confidence in the future of UEW, reaffirming the institution’s core mandate of teacher education, national service and the formation of minds and character for Ghana and beyond. Prof. Mitchual wished the University community a Christmas marked by quiet joy, deep reflection and renewed strength, and a New Year filled with clarity of purpose and shared progress.
The 2025 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols thus provided a fitting spiritual climax to the academic year, strengthening bonds within the UEW community and reinforcing values of faith, hope, service and collective responsibility as the University looks ahead to the New Year.
