NDC Youth Manifesto: Party to scrap academic fees for entry level tertiary students

The opposition NDC says if elected into office, first-year students of tertiary institutions will not pay Academic Facility User Fees.

Speaking at the launch of the party’s youth manifesto on Monday, 12^th August, Flagbearer John Mahama said this is part of measures to alleviate the cost of fees for university students while getting as many students to enter tertiary institutions.

The party said it intends to implement a “no-fees stress program” and no academic fees policy for level 100 students to alleviate financial burdens on parents and students.

While some have criticised the plan by the NDC as inconsequential given varying statements made by Mr. Mahama and the relevant section of the Youth Manifesto on the proposed policy.

The Youth Manifesto pledged a no fee for Level 100 tetiary students, while the former president’s speech proposed fee-paying support for students.

“We will implement a no-fees stress program to alleviate the financial burden on parents and students in financing tertiary education. We will implement a ‘No Academic Fees’ policy at the university for level 100 students.”

“Redeploy the Student Loan Trust Fund Plus (SLTF Plus) to give continuing students the option to utilise students’ loans to finance directly their university fees to guarantee the peace of mind of the student to study,” revealed page 6 of the NDC Youth Manifesto.

However, during his speech, Mr. Mahama stated that “We will also launch the ‘No Fee Stress Initiative,’ providing fee-paying support to eligible students through the Student Loan Trust Fund (STLF).”

The proposed policy has also raised feasibility debates, with some questioning the source of funding and others criticising the party for exhibiting double standards, citing the NDC’s rejection of the ruling government’s flagship Free Senior High School policy.