Dr Apaak rallies stakeholders to drive effective rollout of ‘No Fees Stress’ policy

Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, has called on stakeholders to propose robust alternatives government could explore to sustain the newly introduced  No Fees Stress Policy.

The social intervention programme covers the academic fees of all first-year students in public universities and Colleges of Education in Ghana.

According to government figures, about 120,222 have benefited from the policy since it was launched by President John Mahama in July.

Most first-year students were reimbursed by the Student Loan Trust Fund (SLFT) after they had registered on their portal given that they had made payments before the No Fees Stress Policy was rolled out.

On the back of its initial activation, government has held a stakeholder conference at the Alisa Hotel, inviting key players to critically evaluate the successes and challenges in the pilot implementation of President John Dramani Mahama-led No-Fees Stress policy.

Dr. Apaak, who spoke during the event called on stakeholders to propose practical measures by which the policy could be improved next year.

He said the overall objective was to ensure that Ghanaians had equitable and fair access to tertiary education.

“Our duty here today is not just to critique, but to collectively explore better implementation pathways that align with the policy objective to provide accessible and equitable tertiary education. Although the Student Loan Trust Fund has a proposed implementation plan, we ask them to explore alternatives and present them for our consideration and input.

“This is to ensure that the final policy directed on the implementation of the No Fee Stress policy for the year 2025/2026 academic year and beyond is reflective of our concerns and our realities,” he stressed.

The deputy minister also said the engagement was an opportunity to explore the funding of teacher and nursing trainees in order to cut back on financial waste.

“We have been presented with an opportunity to shape the amendment policy regarding the provision of financial support for the nursing and teacher training institutions. This existing form of support needs to be streamlined to avoid duplicity and ensure fiscal responsibility,” he added.