BY Grace Zigah
Fresh controversy has erupted over the implementation of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s flagship “No Fees Stress” policy following accusations from opposition figures and some students that the programme has failed to deliver the “stress-free” tertiary education promise made during the 2024 election campaign.
The criticism was strongly amplified by an aide to former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, who accused the government of misleading Ghanaian students with what he described as a deceptive campaign promise.
“Students were promised stress-free Level 100 fees ahead of their first-year registration. Not a single Ghanaian student received any such intervention. It has rather become a post-stress support. They have all been scammed,” he stated.
The “No Fees Stress” policy formed one of the key education promises of President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC during the 2024 election campaign.
The policy was marketed as a major intervention aimed at removing financial barriers confronting first-year students entering public tertiary institutions across Ghana.
Under the initiative, government pledged to absorb academic fees for Level 100 students admitted into public tertiary institutions in order to improve access to higher education and reduce the financial burden on families.
The promise gained significant traction during the campaign period, particularly among students, parents and low-income households struggling with rising educational costs.
However, months into implementation, the policy has become the subject of growing criticism as many students complain that they were still compelled to pay fees upfront before later applying for reimbursement or fee verification processes.
Critics argue that instead of eliminating registration stress as promised, the current arrangement merely reimburses students after they have already struggled to raise money for admission and registration. And in that it doesn’t cover full academic expenses including hotel fees.
Under the implementation framework introduced by government through the Students Loan Trust Fund, Level 100 students are required to first validate their enrollment details through the official “No Fees Stress” portal before becoming eligible for fee coverage.
Students are expected to provide information including their Ghana Card details, programme information and admission verification from their institutions before their applications are processed.
Government says approved academic fees are either reimbursed directly into students’ bank accounts or paid directly to the institutions through the Students Loan Trust Fund.
However, delays in verification and reimbursement processes have generated frustration among many students who say they were forced to borrow money, seek family support or struggle financially to complete registration before later joining reimbursement queues.
Some students and commentators have therefore mockingly rebranded the programme as a “Post-Stress Support” policy rather than the originally advertised “No Fees Stress” initiative.
The controversy has triggered broader political debates between the ruling NDC and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over campaign credibility and fulfilment of manifesto promises.
Supporters of the opposition argue that the current implementation falls far short of the original public messaging which created the impression that students would not need to pay fees at all before registration.
Government officials and supporters of the NDC, however, insist the programme remains a major social intervention aimed at improving access to tertiary education despite initial implementation challenges.
They argue that large-scale public programmes often require phased verification systems to prevent abuse, duplication and fraudulent claims.
Officials of the Students Loan Trust Fund have consistently encouraged students to complete their validation details to facilitate faster processing of reimbursements and fee coverage.
