Dr Peter Anti Partey, executive director of IFEST Ghana, has warned that Ghana’s public universities are facing mounting financial pressure due to delays in government funding and the freeze on student fees for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Dr Partey said the mixed funding model for public universities—comprising government subventions, statutory transfers, internally generated funds (IGFs), and limited external resources—is increasingly vulnerable.

“When government releases are delayed, universities rely heavily on IGFs to sustain essential operations, transferring short-term fiscal risk from the state to institutions with limited revenue flexibility,” he explained.

According to Dr Partey, government subventions, primarily channelled through the Ministry of Education, are largely absorbed by staff salaries, leaving universities to fund maintenance, teaching materials, ICT systems, and other non-salary costs from internally generated funds.

Episodic support from the Ghana Education Trust Fund, while helpful, is not sufficient for routine operations.

The situation has been compounded this academic year by a delay in parliamentary approval of the 2025/2026 fee schedules under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022. Universities have been directed to maintain 2024/2025 fees, protecting students but straining institutional finances.

“This freeze erodes the real value of IGFs and constrains universities’ capacity to invest in teaching, learning facilities, and staff expansion,” Dr Partey said, noting that the result has been overcrowded classrooms, under-resourced laboratories, and deferred maintenance.

The expert also highlighted concerns over broad-based fee relief policies, such as the No Fees Stress initiative. While these programs expand access to higher education, they often spread limited resources across all students, including those who can afford to pay, leaving universities undercompensated for foregone revenue.

Dr Partey recommended a shift toward targeted student financing, focusing support on low-income households, students with disabilities, and high-cost but strategically important programs.

“Aligning timely public funding, predictable fee regulation, and targeted student support is critical to maintaining a resilient and high-quality tertiary education system in Ghana,” he said.