Government Spends GH¢917m on No-Fees-Stress Policy – Haruna Iddrisu
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Education, says government has so far spent GH¢917 million to support 321,807 students under the No-Fees-Stress Policy. He said the funding, drawn from the Consolidated Fund through the Ministry of Education’s budgetary allocation, was intended to ease the financial pressure on students and their families. Speaking at a stakeholder engagement on the initiative at Dawu in the Eastern Region, Mr Iddrisu said timely release of funds remained critical to sustaining the programme and ensuring that eligible Ghanaians were not denied access to higher education because of their financial circumstances. He said the initiative, launched on July 4, 2025, had become a key component of the government’s commitment to reducing the cost of tertiary education and “had come to stay”.
Mr Iddrisu said the government had also expanded student loan support to include Law students for the first time in many years, with plans to extend similar support to medical education. He urged stronger institutional commitment to funding human capital development, describing it as a strategic investment that required adequate and timely budgetary provision. Giving an update on the programme, Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) Chief Executive Officer Dr Saajida Shiraz said the No-Fees-Stress Policy had five components: the no academic fee policy, free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, the Students Loan Plus initiative, an enhanced traditional loan scheme with higher loan amounts and lower interest rates, and digitalisation of the loan system. She said the SLTF had also introduced a “bridge funding” model to respond to urgent financing needs, particularly for students seeking access to special education. SLTF Board Chairperson Cynthia Amerley Amarteifio said access, inclusion, affordability and sustainability remained central to the government’s tertiary education agenda.
