Credit Kekeli K. Blamey
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that over 156,000 first-year students enrolled in public tertiary institutions will benefit from a government policy that waives academic facility user fees for the 2025 academic year.
The announcement was made during a national address on Wednesday, May 7, as part of President Mahama’s update on progress under his 120-day social contract.
He disclosed that the government has allocated GH₵452,940,012 to support the initiative, which aims to reduce the financial burden on families and promote equitable access to higher education.
“This was a key promise to ease the burden on families and expand access to higher education,” President Mahama stated.
To ensure transparency and accountability, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has been directed to disburse the funds directly to the respective institutions. In addition, a new digital platform—described as a “no-fee stress” application portal—has been launched to allow eligible students to verify their status and register for the fee waiver.
The President also highlighted progress on national education reforms, including the successful convening of a broad-based consultative conference on education. The event generated over 2,000 proposals and included a nationwide survey on the free Senior High School policy, with input from 20,000 respondents.
According to President Mahama, the final report from the consultations will be published by the end of May 2025.
“The extensive consultation was crucial to building a genuine national consensus for sustainable reform in our education sector,” he noted.
