Committee for Free Tertiary Education for PWDs Holds Maiden Meeting at MoE

The Committee inaugurated and tasked by Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Education, to develop a roadmap for implementing the free tertiary education initiative for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), has held its maiden meeting on Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Accra.

The Committee is co-chaired by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, and the National President of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD), Mr. Joseph Atsu Hormadzi.

In his welcome remarks to the eight-member committee, Dr. Clement Apaak stated that the Ministry of Education is strongly committed to promoting inclusive education.

He emphasized that the Ministry will ensure the realization of President John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC’s) promise of free tertiary education for PWDs.

Mr. Joseph Hormadzi, in his opening remarks, expressed gratitude to President John Dramani Mahama’s administration for the initiative.

According to him, many persons with disabilities struggle to pay their tertiary tuition fees and related expenses.

“On behalf of the Board and the entire body of persons living with disabilities, we wish to express our gratitude to H.E. the President for this initiative. It is a unique and significant package for us, and it deserves to be celebrated, as many of our students are currently stranded.

“For university education, if you do not make a payment, you cannot register, and many of our students are struggling to raise funds to pay their fees. Hon. Deputy Minister, we are grateful to His Excellency for this vision, and we also extend our gratitude to the Hon. Minister and yourself, the Deputy Minister, for setting up this committee to ensure that the necessary modalities are outlined for PWDs to access tertiary education,” he added.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Students’ Loan Trust, Dr. Saajida Shiraz, was also present at the meeting. Along with her team, she gave a presentation on “Facilitating Access to Enhanced Tertiary Education Financing for Students with Disabilities.”