Education Minister urges Colleges of Education to back ‘No Fee Stress’ policy as government boosts funding for tertiary sector

Minister of Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, has urged Colleges of Education to actively support the government’s flagship ‘No Fee Stress’ policy, describing it as one of the most significant social interventions under President Mahama’s administration.

The policy, which eliminates academic user fees for first-year students in public tertiary institutions, has already benefited more than 120,000 students within its first year of implementation. Speaking at the inauguration of governing councils for 10 Colleges of Education in Accra, Mr. Iddrisu noted the policy had eased financial barriers for parents and students struggling to access higher education.

The institutions whose councils were inaugurated include Akatsi, Dambai, St Francis, Foso, Our Lady of Apostles, Holy Child, Kibi, Presbyterian Women’s, Seventh Day Adventist, and St Louis Colleges of Education. Mr. Iddrisu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening teacher education through infrastructure expansion, faculty development, and student support. He disclosed that abandoned hostel projects would be revived at a cost of GH¢410 million, with an additional GH¢200 million allocated for staff development and student feeding.

Further, Book and Research allowances have surged from GH¢31 million to GH¢101 million, while overall tertiary education funding has risen from GH¢428 million to GH¢712 million. Faculty and staff across all 46 colleges have also been migrated to university status, with arrears from the enhanced remuneration scheme fully settled.

While highlighting these achievements, the Minister admitted that the increased financial commitments posed budgetary constraints that limited new staff recruitment. He nonetheless appealed to lecturers and administrators to remain motivated in training future generations.

Looking ahead, Mr. Iddrisu shared his long-term vision of empowering public colleges to evolve into autonomous universities, arguing that regional institutions like Gbewaa College should be supported to offer broader academic programmes, including Psychology, instead of students having to travel to Accra. He encouraged the colleges to explore affiliate partnerships with established universities to diversify their programmes beyond teacher education.