Mahama Starts “No Fees Stress” Program to Help Students
President John Dramani Mahama has officially started a new program called “No Fees Stress.” He promised this during his election campaign, and now it’s a reality. The main goal of this program is to make sure that no student misses out on going to college or university just because they can’t afford the fees.
Even though the “No Fees Stress” program had already quietly started, today’s official launch means more people will know about it and it will gain more speed.
As part of this program, some first-year university students have already received money to pay for their tuition. This is making President Mahama’s idea of making college easier to get into come true.
The program gives upfront money for tuition to first-year students at universities and teaching colleges. It also helps these students get student loans to pay for their education in the years that follow.
President Mahama wants to increase the number of Ghanaians who go to university beyond the current 18% (according to the Ghana Statistical Service). He plans to do this through the “No Fees Stress” program.
He also promised to increase the amount of money students can get through loans so it covers all their school-related costs. This will provide complete financial help throughout their time in college.
President Mahama said he got the idea for this program after hearing stories from smart students who couldn’t afford to go to college before he became president.
He explained, “These are not just made-up stories; these are real stories of people.” He stressed that it’s very important to make college available to all Ghanaians, no matter how much money their family has.
On top of that, Government Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu reported that at least 19,500 students have had their fees paid back to them. The Student Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) also confirmed that 19,703 students had received their loans for the second semester by July 1.
