The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced that 312,448 first-year tertiary students have benefited from the government’s flagship “No Fees Stress” initiative, with total expenditure surpassing GHS888 million.
Addressing Parliament on Thursday, June 18, the Minister explained that the programme, which is designed to ease the financial burden on students entering tertiary education, has recorded significant uptake across the country since its rollout.
According to him, 152,000 students benefited during the 2024/2025 academic year at a cost of GHS399 million.
He added that an additional 159,000 students have so far received support in the ongoing 2025/2026 academic year, with government expenditure reaching GHS489 million.
Mr. Iddrisu noted that the initiative, introduced in July 2025, continues to operate nationwide and remains a key social intervention aimed at expanding access to higher education while reducing financial pressure on students and their families.
He described the policy as a major commitment of government under President John Dramani Mahama to improve tertiary education accessibility through targeted financial support.
The Education Minister also disclosed that 610 students at the Ghana School of Law have benefited from assistance through the Students Loan Trust Fund.
On support for persons with disabilities at the pre-tertiary level, Mr. Iddrisu said 1,530 students received full tuition and residential fee coverage during the 2025/2026 academic year, at a total cost of GHS9.84 million.
He assured Parliament that all financial obligations under the programme had been met, with no outstanding payments owed to beneficiaries or educational institutions.
According to him, the timely release of funds by the Minister for Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, has been critical to the smooth implementation and sustainability of the policy nationwide.
