Education Minister directs GTEC to stop universities from increasing fees

The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), in charge of tertiary education, to instruct all public universities to stop unauthorised increase in academic tuition fees.

The directive follows reports that some universities have arbitrarily raised their fees after the government announced the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which provides free tertiary education for first-year students and persons with disabilities.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on Monday, November 3, 2025, Mr. Iddrisu expressed concern that some institutions were exploiting the new policy to impose unjustified fee adjustments.

“Believe me, my most impactful launch as a minister was when the No Fees Stress Policy was launched; I had a good sleep because this was an impactful social intervention of the President,” he said.

He added “Many of you MPs sitting here know how much you spend on paying school fees when the period comes. But this is to send a caution — Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is here.

I have seen some schools increasing their fees because the government said it is absorbing them. We will not accept that. So make sure you issue consequential instructions to schools not to take advantage of that.”

Mr. Iddrisu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to tertiary education, stressing that institutions must align with the administration’s goal of easing the financial burden on students and families.