The Chief Executive Officer of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), Dr Saajida Shiraz, has announced significant progress in the implementation of the No-Fees-Stress initiative, a flagship policy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the education sector.

According to her, as of Friday, June 13, 120,751 students have accessed the portal, with 98,861 applicants successfully completing their applications for academic fee support.

In addition to the online applications, the Trust Fund has received enrolment data for 79,476 students through its Tertiary Institutions Portal, which collates information from public tertiary institutions across the country.

Following this, the SLTF has commenced the data validation process, with 22,592 students already verified and cleared for reimbursement. “We are on course to reimburse the academic fees of first-year public tertiary students for the 2024/2025 academic year. So help us God!” Dr Shiraz posted on Facebook.

The No-Fees-Stress initiative forms part of the broader Free Tertiary Education agenda introduced by the current NDC administration, building on previous educational reforms.

The policy seeks to eliminate the financial barriers that prevent qualified Ghanaian students from pursuing higher education, particularly at the public tertiary level.

Under the scheme, the government shoulders the academic fees of first-year students, with the aim of enhancing access, equity, and national development through human capital investment.