‘No Fees Stress’ is a moral intervention – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has framed the No Fees Stress policy as a moral stand against what he described as a “hidden national emergency” of blocked educational opportunity.

Launching the policy before students, educators, and government officials in Koforidua on Friday, Mahama called the move a reflection of national values and a test of collective conscience.

“Today, we launch the No Fees Stress Policy, a bold, equity-driven intervention designed to remove financial barriers to entry into public tertiary institutions. This policy is more than a budgetary item. It is a moral, constitutional, and developmental imperative,” he averred.

He argued that the inability of students to pay academic-related fees was not just an economic issue but a social crisis.

He cited figures showing that over 150,000 students were admitted to public tertiary institutions in one academic year, yet thousands were unable to take up their places because of cost.

“This is a tragedy in plain sight. Behind each number is a face, a story, and a future we are allowing to fade,” he said.

President Mahama urged his compatriots to see the policy not as charity but as justice. Drawing parallels with education models in some advanced countries, he said Ghana must protect education as a national investment, not a luxury item.

Although some 15,000 students have been cleared under the new policy, Mahama pledged to build upon the figure to make tertiary education accessible.

The president called on universities, the private sector, and international partners to support and expand the initiative.

“We are building a Ghana where opportunity is not inherited but created,” he said.

“Let this be the generation that ended the injustice of education blocked by poverty. As we speak, academic user fees have been cleared for an initial 15,000 students under this policy. This is just the beginning. And today, with our students, educators, parents, and development partners, I am pleased to declare the No Fees Stress Policy officially launched.

“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. This is the path to a more just society. This is how we build a future where no dream is deferred, and no potential is wasted.”