The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has expressed concerns over a recent proposal by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, to cover academic facility fees for all first-year university students if elected into power. During the NDC’s manifesto reading, he announced the “no-fees stress program,” which aims to ease the financial burden on parents and students by covering academic fees for first-year university students. “We will implement a no-fees stress program to ease the financial burden on parents and students in financing tertiary education,” Mahama declared. “We will implement a no academic fees policy at the university for level 100 students.”
In addition to the fee waiver, Mahama also proposed redeploying the Student Loan Trust Fund. Under this plan, continuing students would have the option to utilize student loans to cover their university fees, allowing them to focus on their studies without financial distractions. While the initiative aims to increase university enrollment by eliminating financial barriers, UTAG argues that the plan lacks equity and could further strain the already underfunded universities.
The NDC’s proposal comes at a time when over 45,000 eligible students are unable to secure university admission each year, mainly due to financial challenges. The party believes that removing these financial hurdles will allow more students to pursue higher education. However, UTAG suggests that the funds should instead be allocated as bursaries to be managed directly by the universities, targeting only needy students.
Professor Mahamoud Akudugu, the President of UTAG, shared these concerns during an interview. While he acknowledged the positive intent behind the policy, he stressed that the universities are already facing severe financial difficulties. According to him, the government’s funding to universities has significantly decreased, covering only salaries. As a result, universities are left to bear the cost of electricity, utilities, and other operational expenses.
Akudugu questioned the sustainability of the policy, noting that without additional provisions for infrastructure and other needs, the influx of new students could overwhelm the already strained resources. He called for a more comprehensive approach to address the challenges at the tertiary level.
“It is good news that the government wants to do this,” Akudugu said. “But we at the universities are also concerned about the fact that currently, government funding to universities has drastically declined to the extent that only salaries are being paid. Universities are expected to pay their own electricity, utility bills, and all the rest.”
Akudugu suggested that the policy should be more targeted to ensure equity. He proposed that the funds be distributed as bursaries or scholarships, which the universities could administer based on students’ financial histories. This, he argued, would ensure that only truly needy students benefit from the assistance.
“For us, we believe that this policy should be targeted for equity,” he continued. “Besides that, we would have even preferred that this is given as bursaries and scholarships or grants to the universities to administer because they will be able to know who the needy students are based on their history. It should be targeted because that is the only way to create equity when it comes to these types of policies.”
Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, echoed UTAG’s sentiments, stating that the best practice worldwide is for universities to manage bursaries and financial aid schemes. He noted that this method ensures that the assistance reaches the intended recipients while allowing for proper oversight. “The best practice in western countries dictates that for bursaries and financial assistance schemes to benefit students, the universities are the ones who must administer them and then report to the scholarship authority,” Asare explained.
Despite these concerns, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Inter-Party and CSO Relations for the NDC, defended the policy, arguing that UTAG’s suggestion could open the door to fraud. He insisted that all students should benefit from the policy, as limiting it to only needy students could create opportunities for exploitation. “I strongly disagree because it will create room for rent-seeking,” Otokunor countered. “Because, mind you, in the universities there are equally a number of rent-seekers who will also want to take advantage of some of these things.”
Otokunor further emphasized the importance of minimizing human intervention in the administration of the policy to ensure its efficiency. He pointed out that most universities already operate electronic registration systems, which could be used to manage the fee waivers. “The key thing about policy efficiency is that you must as much as possible remove the human intervention, and now every university runs an electronic system of registration,” he added.
