The Government of Ghana is set to officially launch its much anticipated No-Fee Stress policy on Friday, June 4, 2025, a flagship initiative aimed at eliminating academic fees for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions.
This bold policy was initially announced by President John Dramani Mahama during his 2024 election campaign as part of a broader commitment to expanding access to quality education.
At the 58th special congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman revealed that over 100,000 students have already submitted applications online through the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) portal, which opened on April 29, 2025, to facilitate access to the policy.
By mid-June, nearly 130,000 students had accessed the portal, with more than 100,000 completing their applications, signaling strong uptake and enthusiasm among beneficiaries.
“First year students in public institutions, to be exempted from paying academic related fees, the Vice President said.
The Vice President emphasized that the No-Fee Stress policy is a strategic funding model designed to enhance educational access by exempting first-year students from paying academic-related fees.
“Funding models that enhance access to quality education. One is the no free stress policy. First year students in public institutions, the government continues to introduce funding models that enhance access to quality education.”
She highlighted the government’s commitment to removing financial barriers that hinder tertiary education participation and described the initiative as a transformative step toward inclusive education.
The Vice President disclosed that “the official launch event is scheduled for July 4, 2025.”
Also, the government has pledged to uphold academic freedom and institutional autonomy, ensuring university councils and management can operate without political interference.
She said “The government places a high premium on academic freedom because it promotes university operations and ensures smooth functioning of governing councils and management.”
Vice President Opoku Agyeman reaffirmed President Mahama’s commitment to empowering university governance structures to perform their statutory duties effectively.
“I want to assure you that His Excellency John Dramani Mahama is firmly committed to empowering university councils and management to perform their statutory duties without undue political interference,” she stated.
The government has allocated GH¢499.8 million in the 2025 budget to support the implementation of this policy, underscoring its priority in national development plans.
This funding will cover admission and facility user fees for first-year students across public universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions.
The initiative is part of a wider educational agenda that also includes free tertiary education for persons with disabilities and continued support for the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Reimbursements to students who have already paid fees are expected to begin by the end of June 2025, according to the SLTF CEO, Dr. Saajida Shiraz, who confirmed that preparations are underway to expedite refunds even as applications continue to be processed.
Source : www.kumasimail.com Kwadwo Owusu
