The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) , Kofi Asare, has punched holes in the design of the Mahama government’s no fee stress policy for university students.
Kofi Asare argued that the No Fee Stress policy does not adequately address the financial barrier preventing some poor students from entering tertiary education.
According to Kofi Asare, the policy was intended to remove admission and academic fees that prevent financially disadvantaged students from accessing tertiary education, adding that the current reimbursement model requires students to first raise money and secure admission before receiving government support.
He argued that with the current reimbursement model, poor students are still at home unable to raise the initial funds required to enrol.
In a social media post on X, Kofi Asare wrote, “The government has been implementing No Fee Stress “Lite” for two academic years, benefiting more than 320,000 students at a cost of about GH¢900m. Great!
But there is a critical gap. The beneficiaries are students who were able to raise the money required to secure admission in the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years.
The poorest students, those who could not raise the initial fees, remain at home. Miss Ali is one of them. (Results are attached).
It is therefore time to move from No Fee Stress “Lite” to No Fee Stress ‘Proper’: a system in which tertiary admission and academic fees are waived upfront, rather than relying mainly on a refund mechanism that requires students to pay before they can benefit.
Eduwatch has repeatedly advised the government to target the policy at students who genuinely need it, but the government has taken a different position. It appears there is more cash to splash; just like free SHS.
If there is more cash, then the poorest must not be left behind because they lack the cash to honour their admission.
On judgement day, the true measure of No Fee Stress should not be how many students receive refunds, but how many students who would otherwise be excluded are given the opportunity to enter tertiary education in the first place.
A policy cannot claim to remove financial barriers while leaving behind those who cannot afford the upfront cost of admission.
The government must absorb Miss Ali’s fees and those of other prospective students in her situation before admission this year.
That is what the NDC manifesto promised, and this is the opportunity to turn that promise into reality.
Government cannot afford to stress Miss Ali and her colleagues in an era that is supposed to be “No Fee Stress.”
Let the policy speak. Let opportunity reach those who need it most. And let Miss Ali breathe.
Me kraa, I am stressed. I’m tired of saying this same thing over and over. Find the cash and do the do. Tsoo!
Do not measure the health of the forest by the strength of the lion while the smaller animals perish. -Larteh Proverb!”.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says 312,448 first-year tertiary students have benefited from the government’s ‘No Fees Stress’ policy at a total cost of over GHC888 million.
Haruna Iddrisu, answering questions on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, June 18, said the 2024/2025 academic year recorded 152,000 beneficiaries for GHC399 million, while 159,000 students have benefited so far in the 2025/2026 academic year for GHC489 million.
He stated, “The No Fees Stress policy for the 2024-25 academic year, 152,698 validated first-year students benefited at the cost of GHC399,374,727. For the 2025 academic year, 159,750 students have benefited so far at a cost of GHC489,456,427.
“To date, 312,448 students have been assisted under the ‘No Fees Stress’ at a total cost of GHC888,831,000. This is what we have done to support young people’s desires to access tertiary education. Our policy remains access, relevance and quality,” he said.
“I’m happy to announce that under this government, we are demystifying legal education. Therefore, students pursuing law and professional law can now apply for their student loans,” he said.
See the post below:
The government has been implementing No Fee Stress “Lite” for two academic years, benefiting more than 320,000 students at a cost of about GH¢900m. Great!
— Kofi Asare (@KofiEducation) August 30, 2026
But there is a critical gap. The beneficiaries are students who were able to raise the money required to secure admission in… pic.twitter.com/uWG0XjeCxh
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