Koforidua: Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has announced that President John Dramani Mahama has committed to covering the full educational fees for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). He added that steps were underway to ensure the timely disbursement of funds to support students living with disabilities. He explained that the fees disbursement fell under the free tertiary education for PWDs, which is part of the President’s commitment to inclusive education, and aims to relieve students of financial burden. The Minister made this statement during an official launch of the ‘No Fees Stress’ policy at Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
According to Ghana News Agency, the policy aims to ease the financial burden on tertiary students and enhance access to post-secondary education nationwide. Mr. Iddrisu stated that by next week, the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill would be laid before Parliament. The bill aims to replace the current Scholarship Secretariat and introduce a new authority dedicated to awarding scholarships transparently. This legislative move is intended to eliminate cronyism and nepotism in the scholarship selection process, ensuring fair and merit-based access for Ghanaian students.
President Mahama, together with Dr. Saajida Shiraz, Chief Executive Officer of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), officially launched the ‘No Fees Stress’ policy, a key initiative from the National Democratic Congress manifesto aimed at eliminating academic user fees for first-year students in public tertiary institutions across Ghana. Speaking at the launch, Dr. Shiraz reaffirmed the SLTF’s commitment to implementing the policy with diligence, transparency, and urgency. She announced that the online portal for the programme (nofeesstress.sltf.gov.gh) went live on April 29, 2025. Since then, 148,429 students have accessed the portal, with 124,338 successfully completing their applications.
Additionally, the SLTF has received enrollment data for 135,255 students from public tertiary institutions via its institutional portal and has validated 49,956 students for reimbursement. Dr. Shiraz further disclosed that the complementary Students Loan Plus Initiative would continue to provide financial support for continuing students, ensuring sustained access to education without financial barriers. The launch event, held at the Seventh Day Adventist College of Education, drew enthusiastic support from both the public and students, with attendees from Mount Mary College of Education and other tertiary institutions joining in to celebrate the flagship programme.