TTAG lauds Mahama’s ‘No Fees Stress’ policy rollout

The Teacher Trainees’ Association of Ghana (TTAG) has lauded President John Dramani Mahama and his administration for the bold rollout of the “No Fees Stress” policy — a flagship intervention aimed at eliminating financial barriers for first-year students in public tertiary institutions.

The policy, officially launched on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Seventh-day Adventist College of Education in Asokore, Eastern Region, is expected to cover academic-related fees for all newly admitted students starting from the 2025/2026 academic year.

According to TTAG, the policy marks a major milestone in Ghana’s push toward equitable and inclusive education.

In a statement dated Monday, July 7, TTAG described the initiative as “it as a strong sign of the government’s commitment to fair and inclusive education.”

So far, the government has cleared academic user fees for an initial batch of 15,000 students, while more than 340,000 applications are currently undergoing validation.

TTAG also expressed appreciation to the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, for his “continued policy ingenuity,” and commended the Chief Executive Officer of the Students’ Loan Trust Fund, Dr. Saajida Shiraz, for ensuring immediate financing and the clearing of outstanding arrears under the initiative.

“TTAG further acknowledges the Ministry of Education, under the able leadership of Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, for his continued policy ingenuity. The Association also highly commends Dr. Saajida Shiraz, CEO of the Students’ Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), for her operational excellence, particularly in ensuring the immediate funding of the initiative and clearing of legacy arrears.”

“Of notable significance is the government’s firm assurance that the payment of Teacher Trainee Allowances for the First and Second Semester of the 2025/2026 Academic year, shall resume shortly. This assurance has restored confidence among Teacher Trainees, as the Association looks forward to the prompt disbursement of the allowances.”

The association further welcomed government’s firm assurance that the long-awaited payment of teacher trainee allowances for the first and second semesters of the 2025/2026 academic year would resume shortly.