The government has revised its stance on the no-fee stress policy, announcing that first-year university students who have already paid their fees will no longer receive the direct refunds that were initially promised.
During his campaign, NDC presidential candidate John Mahama pledged to cover the fees of all Level 100 students within the first 120 days of taking office. This promise was reiterated by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu during his vetting, where he assured that students who had already paid for the 2025 academic year would be reimbursed.
“We plan to provide the funds to the affected universities so they can refund fees to students who already paid,” he said at the time.
However, despite allocating GHS499.8 million for the policy, the government has now decided not to issue direct refunds this year.
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Speaking on JoyNews’ NewsNight, Deputy Education Minister Dr. Clement Apaak explained that instead of getting their money back, students will have their payments credited toward their second-year fees.
“These students will be continuing their education. So rather than reimbursing them directly, we will treat what they paid as a credit for next year. That way, they won’t have to pay for their second year,” Dr. Apaak said.
He also stressed that to ensure transparency, the money would go directly to the universities instead of to individual students.
“This method helps us manage logistics better and reduces the risk of any mismanagement,” he added.
Source: myjoyonline.com
