Gov’t rescinds decision to refund first-year university students fees
President John Dramani Mahama’s government, following its free tertiary tuition policy, has rescinded its decision to refund the fees paid by first-year students in various government universities during their admission.
This comes after the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, during his vetting said that the government would ensure refunds were issued to prospective students who had already paid for the 2025 academic year.
“We intend to provide that money to the affected universities, at least to make refunds to all those who have already paid those fees,” the Education Minister told the Parliament’s vetting committee.
During his appearance before the Appointments Committee of Parliament for vetting on Monday, 20th January, Haruna Iddrisu revealed that implementing the policy would cost approximately 345 million Ghana Cedis.
“President Mahama and the NDC promise free tuition for students from level 100 who undertake normal programs in the various public universities of our country, including what he has said, expanded to private tertiary institutions. The country will require about 345 million Ghana cedis for the population of students who enter tertiary institutions,” Honorubale Haruna Iddrisu stated
But in an interview monitored by Pretertiary.com, Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, explained that instead of receiving cash reimbursements, students’ accounts will be credited towards their second-year fees.
“The same students are going to be continuing. Rather than the physical reimbursement, going forward, as they go into their second year, what should have come to them to defer their academic fee for the first year will become a credit, which will then mean that as they go to second year, they wouldn’t have to pay because they have already paid for their first year,” Dr Apaak said.
The Deputy Education Minister speaking on Accra-based JoyNews’ Newslight emphasised that, for accountability reasons, the funds would be disbursed directly to the universities, not the students.
“This approach helps us avoid logistical challenges and any potential impropriety,” Clement Abas Apaak told the host of JoyNews’ Newslight.
President John Dramani, during the 2024 general election campaign, promised that his government would fully absorb the academic fees of all new entrants into public tertiary institutions, including Universities, Colleges of Education, Nursing Training Colleges, starting from 2025.
He, at a townhall meeting with the Youth at Ho, said the policy would cushion parents and students from bearing the full cost of the fees for ‘first-year students or freshers,’ which is higher than those of continuing students.
“So we don’t want, especially first years, to go through what we call the fee stress, and that is why we call it the no fee stress policy. We’ll absorb the academic user facility fees, but it will not affect the subventions of the government to the universities
We have costed it and we approximate that for all first year students in public tertiary institutions, it should cost between GH¢270 million and GH¢290 million (for an academic year),” the NDC leader stated.
On funding the policy, Mahama said the wastage in the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government, citing the President’s infamous private jet travels and other extravagances, would be enough to fund the policy.
