Former presidential staffer and NPP communications director hopeful, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has claimed that no Ghanaian student has benefited from the government’s No Fess Stress policy since it
assumed office
Speaking with Isaac Addae on The Verdict on Starr FM, Mr Aboagye said two batches of students have already gone to tertiary institutions, but not a single student has benefited from the policy.
“No Ghanaian student today has benefited from No Fees Stress ever since this government came to office. No Ghanaian.” he stated
Mr Aboagye said the No Fees Stress policy was introduced to remove the financial burden faced by students and parents after gaining admission to tertiary institutions.
According to Mr Aboagye, the President explained that students who had gone through free Senior High School should not be unable to continue to tertiary education because they could not afford the fees.
He said the President’s intention was to ensure that once a student gained admission, the student could simply pick up their bag and go to school without having to struggle to raise fees.
Mr Aboagye said the President had also stated that the money would be paid directly to universities as grants.
“The money will be paid to the universities directly as grants.” he stated
However, Mr Aboagye argued that what is currently happening does not remove the financial stress from students. He said students who want to benefit from the support must first find money to pay their fees and enter the university before applying for a refund.
“if you are lucky to be able to find a loan or find money from somebody to enter into university, then you can apply for a refund,” he said.
He questioned how students from poor backgrounds who cannot raise the initial fees are expected to benefit from such an arrangement.
Mr Aboagye said the situation means that students who cannot find someone to lend them money may be unable to enter tertiary institutions in the first place.
He explained that students under that system would pay their fees, enter the university and subsequently apply for a student loan, after which they could receive a refund.
He therefore questioned the difference between that process and what he described as the current student loan arrangement.
“So if you do this and you come and call it No Fees Stress, then you agree with me that there is no Ghanaian child who has actually benefited from this policy,” he said.
Mr Aboagye maintained that the government has failed to put in place a mechanism that removes the financial stress faced by students seeking tertiary education.
He said the situation leaves a critical question over students who are too poor to raise the money required to enter university.
“The question is, for those who are poor, who are unable to access these loans, what happens to them?”
He maintained that the monies eventually refunded to students only reach those who have already managed to find the money to enter the university, arguing that this defeats the purpose of a policy introduced to remove that initial financial burden.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Pamela Quayson
