‘No-fees-stress’ policy boosts tertiary education enrollment – SDA College Vice Principal

The No-Fees-Stress Policy has boosted access to tertiary education, with beneficiaries at the SDA College of Education expressing appreciation to the government for easing the financial burden on students.

Dr Gifty Seiwaa Nyarko, the Vice Principal of the SDA College of Education, Asokore – Koforidua in the Eastern region, said the college recorded 470 beneficiaries under the policy during the 2025/2026 academic year, all of whom were first-year students.

Dr Nyarko, who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), added that the beneficiaries comprised 160 males and 310 females.

She described the high patronage as a demonstration of students’ understanding of the importance of taking advantage of available government interventions to pursue higher education.

She advised beneficiaries to use the money provided by the government judiciously, since their academic user fees had already been covered under the policy.

“The government had already supported you financially, so do not misuse the money given to you by your parents. Use it for things that can support your stay on campus and enhance your studies,” she said.

The Vice Principal expressed gratitude to the government for the financial relief provided to students.

Ms Esther Ansah, a first-year Bachelor of Education student in Early Grade Education, notes that the policy has made it possible for her to pursue her dream career in tertiary education, without any financial difficulty of paying academic user fees.

“If the policy had not been introduced, I would not have been able to afford the fees at this initial stage. This would have disrupted my career,” she said.

Mr Samuel Okai Ntiri, a beneficiary pursuing Primary Education, also noted that although some money had been provided by his family for his upkeep, it would not have been enough if he were to pay academic user fees.

President John Dramani Mahama launched the No-Fees-Stress Policy on July 4, 2025, at the SDA College of Education as part of efforts to increase enrolment in the country’s public tertiary institutions.

The policy covers academic user fees for all first-year (Level 100) students in public tertiary institutions, while continuing students at Levels 200, 300 and 400 may access the Student Loan Plus or the regular Student Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) loan scheme for financial support.