The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to immediately halt any plans by public universities to increase academic fees for the upcoming academic year.
The directive comes amid rising concerns from parents, student unions, and civil society organisations over reports of proposed fee hikes across several tertiary institutions.
Many stakeholders argued that the prevailing economic challenges in the country have already placed significant financial pressure on households, making any increment unacceptable.
This intervention follows reports that some universities have arbitrarily raised their fees after the government introduced the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which guarantees free tertiary education for first-year students and persons with disabilities.
The policy, designed to improve access to higher education, waives academic user fees for all first-year students enrolled in public tertiary institutions nationwide.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Monday, November 3, 2025, Haruna Iddrisu expressed concern that some institutions were taking advantage of the policy to impose unjustified fee adjustments.
“Believe me, my most impactful launch as a minister was when the No Fees Stress Policy was launched; I had a good sleep because this was an impactful social intervention of the President,” he said.
“Many of you MPs sitting here know how much you spend on paying school fees when the period comes. But this is to send a caution — GTEC is here. I have seen some schools increasing their fees because the government said it is absorbing them. We will not accept that. So make sure you issue consequential instructions to schools not to take advantage of that,” he said.
The Minister stressed that universities must strictly adhere to the approved fee structure issued by GTEC and refrain from introducing any unauthorised charges.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring affordable and equitable access to quality tertiary education, warning that no institution will be allowed to undermine this goal.
