The government is taking steps to expand the operations of the Student Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) to cover all tertiary institutions nationwide, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has said.

The initiative seeks to ease the financial burden on students in both public and private tertiary institutions.

“We are committed to reducing the financial stress on Ghanaian students. We are currently evaluating the numbers, and we will ensure transparency and openness in the disbursement process,” he said.

Aside from that, he said the government was also exploring avenues to fund allowances for teacher and nursing trainees, with outstanding payments for 65,000 trainees expected to be addressed soon.

Mr Iddrisu was speaking at a sensitisation and registration event for the disbursement of funds to first-year tertiary students under the “No Fee Stress” policy at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale.

The event brought together approximately 1,500 students from various tertiary institutions in Northern Ghana and parts of the Middle Belt.

In his remarks, Mr Iddrisu indicated that the government had allocated about GH¢500 million to the SLTF, specifically to support the payment of tuition and other academic-related expenses for private tertiary students in 2025.

He said the disbursement of the funds was expected to begin in June, with an initial 40,000 students set to benefit, adding that each student would receive GH¢2,500 to help cushion their academic expenses.

He said over 98,000 students had already accessed the SLTF application portal, reflecting the high demand for financial assistance in the sector. On the Free Senior High School policy, the minister indicated that a committee had been set up to review the implementation of the policy.

He added that “the committee is expected to present its report to the President soon.

We are committed to improving the policy through constructive review and stakeholder engagement”.

For her part, the Chief Executive Officer of the SLTF, Dr Saajida Shiraz, encouraged all eligible students to register and take advantage of the support being rolled out.

She pointed out that the “No Fee Stress” initiative, a flagship policy of the government, was not a loan but a financial support system designed to ease the financial burden on students.

She further explained that, unlike the traditional student loan, the “No Fee Stress” policy did not require repayment, stressing the Fund’s commitment to making education stress-free and accessible for all Ghanaian students.