Education Minister commends SLTF for smooth implementation of Mahama’s No Fees Stress policy

In a visit to the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) offices on Monday, October 20, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu commended the agency for its efforts in implementing the government’s flagship No Fees Stress Policy, which he described as “the most impactful initiative” of the John Dramani Mahama administration.

His visit, was ahead of the launch of the Free Tertiary for Persons with Disabilities initiative by President John Dramani Mahama on the 24th of October 2025 at the Accra College of Education.

During the visit, the CEO of SLTF, Dr. Saajida Shiraz and her team, took the opportunity to run the Hon. Minister through the New No Fees Stress Portal.

The Minister commended the team for their commitment to a seamless rollout of the policy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making tertiary education more accessible, inclusive, and equitable.

He pledged his continuous support towards the mitigation of financial hardships for tertiary students.

No Fees Stress Policy

Launched in July 2025, the No Fees Stress policy is designed to increase equitable access to tertiary education for Ghanaian students.

The No Academic Policy, a component of the No Fees Stress Policy, removes upfront academic user fees for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions (universities, technical universities, colleges of education and nursing training institutions).

Under the initiative, the State assumes the cost of admission and registration fees for eligible first-year students.

Over 150,000 students are set to benefit from the first phase. 129,269 students have already received reimbursements under the policy.

The No Academic Fee Policy is part of a broader equity drive in higher education to ensure no student is barred from tertiary entry purely for financial reasons.

For the 2025/26 academic year, the Students Loan Trust Fund will be implementing other components of the No Fees Stress Policy including the Students Loan Plus, and the Free Tertiary for Persons with Disabilities Initiative. The No Fees Stress portal will be accessible to students from the 23rd of October 2024.

The Students Loan Trust Fund was established under the Students Loan Trust Fund Act, 2011 (Act 820), to provide financial resources for students in accredited tertiary programmes.

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