Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education-designate, has announced that the government will refund admission fees paid by first-year university students. This initiative is part of President John Mahama’s ‘No Fee Stress’ promise outlined in the 2024 Youth Manifesto.
Speaking during his vetting by the Appointments Committee on January 20, 2025, Haruna Iddrisu disclosed that GHC345 million would be allocated in the government’s maiden budget to support this initiative. The allocation is contingent on the approval of Dr. Ato Forson as the Minister of Finance.
“We know that some students have paid their admission fees, and we will refund it to them,” Haruna Iddrisu stated in response to questions from Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Committee.
The ‘No Academic Fees for Level 100 Students’ policy, detailed on page 6 of the Youth Manifesto, aims to ease the financial burden on parents and students financing tertiary education.
However, Haruna Iddrisu clarified that the policy will not cover students pursuing medicine and other specialized programs.
“On the authority of President Mahama, I am sure the Minister of Finance, if approved, will include this provision in the Reset Budget. It will cater for students in normal areas but exclude areas like Medicine,” he explained.