The Minister for Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, has issued a firm directive to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), ordering an immediate halt to what he calls “unauthorised increases” in tuition fees by public universities.
The instruction follows serious reports that some institutions are attempting to exploit the newly launched ‘No Fees Stress Policy’ by arbitrarily adjusting their charges.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Monday, November 3, 2025, Minister Iddrisu expressed deep concern that universities were taking unfair advantage of the government’s major social intervention programme, which provides free tertiary education for all first-year students and persons with disabilities.
Mr. Iddrisu emphasised the significant relief the ‘No Fees Stress Policy’ offers Ghanaian families and warned universities against sabotaging its objective of ensuring equitable access to higher education.
The government’s policy absorbs the tuition component of fees for these specific groups of students.
“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 stated, underscoring the political importance of the programme.
He then issued a direct, unequivocal command to the sector regulator present at the meeting.
“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 added.
The directive mandates that GTEC must now issue a “consequential instruction” to all public universities, forcing them to align with the administration’s goal of easing the financial burden on students and families and preventing any unjustified fee adjustments.
In a related development concerning the regulatory landscape of tertiary education, the Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Education is actively reviewing a controversial policy affecting private universities.
The policy currently mandates the closure of private universities that fail to obtain a presidential charter within 10 years of establishment.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that the review is a direct response to appeals from several private institutions that have requested additional time to fully prepare for independent operation and meet all regulatory requirements for the charter. The review is aimed at finding a pragmatic solution that balances regulatory standards with the need to support the growth of private tertiary education providers.
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