The Minister for Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, has called for the timely release of funds to support the implementation of the government’s No-Fees-Stress Initiative, warning that delays in budgetary allocations could undermine the policy’s intended purpose.
Speaking at the Student Loan Trust Fund Stakeholder Engagement Forum on the Student Loan Initiative, the minister said the initiative was introduced to reduce the financial burden of tertiary education on students and their families.
He recalled that President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to easing the cost of higher education was translated into action on July 4, 2025, with the launch of the No-Fees-Stress Initiative, implemented by the Student Loan Trust Fund and funded through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
According to Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, approximately GH₵1.917 billion has been spent to support 321,807 students under the initiative, describing the investment as commendable.
He, however, identified delays in the release of budgetary allocations as one of the major challenges facing the programme. He urged the Student Loan Trust Fund, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education to work together to ensure that funds are made available early enough to support students when the academic year begins.
The minister stressed that funding for the 2026 implementation of the initiative should not be delayed until the first quarter of 2027, arguing that such delays could defeat the purpose of the policy and place additional pressure on families struggling to pay tertiary education fees.
“Regardless of your financial standing, regardless of your geographic location, regardless of the status of your parents, every eligible Ghanaian who qualifies to access higher education must be supported by government,” he said.
Hon. Haruna further emphasised that financial difficulties should not deny qualified young people the opportunity to pursue higher education, urging stakeholders to make recommendations on how the government could improve its support for tertiary students.
He also challenged participants at the forum to examine the level of public investment in higher education and determine whether current funding was adequate to deliver quality education.
Drawing comparisons with countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the minister cited estimates of public expenditure ranging from approximately US$7,000 to US$22,000 to support a bachelor’s degree in different countries.
He urged stakeholders to consider how Ghana could strengthen its investment in tertiary education, particularly in the face of challenges such as deteriorating infrastructure and the need for sustainable funding.
The forum brought together key stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the No-Fees-Stress Initiative, assess its impact and propose measures to improve access to higher education for eligible Ghanaian students.
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