Africa-Press – Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama has launched the “No Fees Stress” Policy initiative as part of efforts to boast enrolment into the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The policy will provide free tuition for all first-year students in the nation’s public tertiary institutions.
The launch of the “No Fees Stress” was in fulfillment to President Mahama’s 2024 election campaign promise to Ghanaians
The President launched the policy initiative on Friday, at the SDA College of Education in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
The launch was graced by the new Juabenmanhene Nana Kwaku Boateng lll and the new Juabenmanhemaa Nana Juaben Serwaa III.
President Mahhama said the launch of the initiative was a constitutionally inspired mission, and that they had also fulfil their constitutional mandate under Article 38(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which enjoins the State to provide equal access to university or equivalent education to all Ghanaians.
“We are building a Ghana where opportunity is not inherited but created. A Ghana where education is not rationed by class or cash, but granted by merit and upheld by the collective will of the Republic,” he said.
He said the initiative that speaks directly to the heart of their national aspirations: The right of every Ghanaian child to access tertiary education, regardless of family income, social background, or place of birth.
“Today, we launch the No Fees Stress Policy, a bold, equity-driven intervention designed to remove financial barriers to entry into public tertiary institutions,” the President said.
He added: “Beginning this academic year, the State will cover the academic-related fees of all first-year students admitted into our public universities, colleges of education, technical universities, and nursing training institutions who, in many cases, would otherwise have had to forgo their dreams.”
President Mahama said too many of the nation’s young people had worked hard, passed their exams, and earned a place in tertiary institutions—only to be turned away because their families could not afford the upfront fees.
Touching on the statistics, he said in the 2022/2023 academic year, over 150,000 students were admitted to public tertiary institutions; yet thousands could not take up these admissions due to the inability to pay academic-related fees.
He said data from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission reveals that many more defer or drop out of their programmes each year for this very reason.
He said a student in a College of Education, for instance, received a monthly allowance of GHS 200 in the 2024/2025 academic year—but was expected to pay GHS 1,362 in admission fees.
Whereas in nursing colleges, the fees were even higher—GHS 2,340, with the same monthly allowance.
The President said the annual student loan of GHS 2,550 falls short in covering university academic related fees, which can rise as high as GHS 8,000.
He said the tragedy was that they were required to pay these fees when they had not yet had the opportunity to register for the Student Loan Scheme.
“These are not just statistics. Behind each number is a name, a face, a dream deferred,” President Mahama said.
President observed that tertiary education was not just about getting a certificate, but the engine that powers modern society and that it creates teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and public servants; adding that it spurs innovation, deepens civic responsibility, and fosters national identity.
He said according to the World Bank, every additional year of tertiary education increases an individual’s earnings by up to 17 per cent in developing countries.
The President said yet, according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, only 18 per cent of Ghanaians aged 18 and above had completed tertiary education.
He said the means that over 80 per cent of their adult population lacks post-secondary qualifications.
The President said in a nation striving to build a resilient, knowledge-driven economy, this gap was one they could not afford to maintain.
He said the No-Fees Stress Policy had been designed with deliberate inclusivity and scalability; declaring that its key components include No-Academic-Fees Policy, Student Loan Plus Initiative and Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities.
He said as at the time of launch of the “No Fees Stress Policy”, the Government had cleared academic user fees for an initial 15,000 students under this policy, which was just the beginning.
President Mahama declared: “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. This is the path to a more just society.
‘This is how we build a future where no dream is deferred, and no potential is wasted.”
For More News And Analysis About Ghana Follow Africa-Press
