President John Mahama has vowed that financial hardship will no longer stand between Ghanaian students and a university education, as he officially launched the No Fees Stress Policy, a major new initiative that removes academic-related fees for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions.

Speaking at the launch of the event at Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua on Friday, July 4, the President stated that, “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.”

The policy, which takes immediate effect, is aimed at dismantling long-standing financial barriers that have prevented thousands of brilliant students from enrolling in universities, technical institutions, nursing training colleges, and colleges of education.

The President stressed that the programme goes beyond budget lines, it addresses fairness, justice, and Ghana’s constitutional duty.

“This policy is not about welfare. It is about fairness. It is about restoring dignity to the Ghanaian student,” he said.

“It is about affirming that the right to education is not a privilege for the wealthy, but a shared national inheritance.”

He revealed troubling figures that highlight the scale of the crisis. Over 150,000 students were admitted in 2022/2023, yet thousands did not enrol due to the cost of fees. A College of Education student received GH¢200 monthly, but had to pay GH¢1,362 in admission fees.

Nursing trainees paid as much as GH¢2,340, with the same allowance. University academic fees could reach GH¢8,000, while annual student loans were capped at just GH¢2,550.

“These are not just statistics,” he said. “Behind each number is a name, a face, a dream deferred.”

The No Fees Stress Policy provides full academic fee coverage for all new students in public tertiary schools. It also includes a restructured Student Loan Plus Initiative for continuing students, free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, targeted scholarships for underrepresented communities and key national disciplines, an annual adjustment of student loan amounts to reflect real tuition costs, and reimbursement of up to GH¢2,500 for students enrolled in fee-paying programmes that have no regular-track equivalents.

So far, the government has cleared academic user fees for an initial 15,000 students.

President Mahama called on students to rise to the occasion: “This opportunity is yours to seize. Focus, excel, and commit yourselves to serving Ghana.” He also urged institutions to implement the policy “with transparency, compassion, and excellence.”

The President, with a firm constitutional reminder, said, “In launching this initiative, we also fulfil our 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.”