Education Minister Stops Universities from Increasing Fees
Haruna Iddrisu directs GTEC to stop public universities from exploiting the “No Fees Stress Policy” with arbitrary tuition increases.
- Education Minister orders GTEC to stop universities from raising fees under the “No Fees Stress Policy.”
- Government warns institutions against exploiting the new free tertiary education scheme
- Policy on private universities’ presidential charters under review for greater flexibility.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has ordered the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to immediately instruct all public universities to halt any unapproved tuition fee increases.
His directive follows reports that some universities have taken advantage of the government’s “No Fees Stress Policy” — which offers free tertiary education for first-year students and persons with disabilities — by introducing unjustified fee adjustments.
Appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Monday, November 3, 2025, Mr. Iddrisu warned that such actions undermine the purpose of the policy.
“After launching the No Fees Stress Policy, I had one of my best nights of sleep — because it was a truly impactful social intervention. But I’ve noticed that some schools are increasing fees under the pretext that government is absorbing costs. We will not tolerate that,” he stated.
He emphasized that GTEC must ensure compliance across all public universities to protect students from unfair charges and uphold the government’s vision of accessible tertiary education for all.
In a related update, Mr. Iddrisu revealed that the Education Ministry is reviewing the policy requiring private universities to secure a presidential charter within ten years of operation — a move prompted by requests for flexibility from several institutions.
