President John Dramani Mahama has announced that academic user fees for over 15,000 first-year students have already been cleared under the newly launched No Fees Stress policy, which aims to eliminate financial barriers to tertiary education in Ghana.
Speaking at the official launch of the policy in Koforidua on Friday, July 4, the President described the initiative as a “bold, equity-driven intervention” to ensure that no Ghanaian student is denied entry into a public tertiary institution simply because of an inability to pay academic-related fees.
“As we speak, academic user fees have been cleared for an initial 15,000 students under this policy,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
The No Fees Stress policy provides full coverage of academic-related fees for all first-year students admitted into public universities, technical universities, nursing training colleges, and colleges of education starting from the 2025/2026 academic year.
The President explained that the policy was not a handout, but a constitutional and developmental necessity, citing Article 38(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates the State to provide equal access to university education for all Ghanaians.
“Today, we launch the No Fees Stress policy, a bold, equity-driven intervention designed to remove financial barriers to entry into public tertiary institutions,” he stated. “This policy is more than a budgetary item. It is a moral, constitutional, and developmental imperative.”
He noted that the financial burden of tertiary fees has forced many qualified students to defer admission or drop out. In the 2022/2023 academic year, over 150,000 students were admitted to public tertiary institutions, but many could not enrol due to high academic fees and limited financial aid.
READ: Seize this opportunity and serve Ghana – Mahama to students
President Mahama reiterated his call on tertiary institutions to implement the policy “with transparency, compassion, and excellence” and urged development partners and the private sector to co-invest in sustaining the initiative.
“Let it be known across this land that, from today, no Ghanaian child will be denied tertiary education simply because they cannot afford the academic fees,” he said.
The launch event brought together government officials, vice-chancellors, rectors, student leaders, and development partners in a show of national commitment to educational access and equity.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
