Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that a future National Democratic Congress (NDC) government plans to use the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to finance its proposed ‘No-fees policy’ for first-year university students.
This policy, announced during the launch of the NDC’s Youth Manifesto, aims to alleviate the financial burden on parents by covering the tuition fees for Level 100 students.
Addressing concerns about the funding of the policy, which have emerged following criticisms of NDC’s 2024 flagbearer, John Mahama, Ablakwa clarified how the initiative would be supported.
Critics have questioned the feasibility of the policy given Ghana’s economic conditions, suggesting it might be an unrealistic promise to secure votes.
In an interview on Joy FM’s Newsfile on August 17, Ablakwa outlined that the Mahama administration plans to uncap GETFund as a key measure to generate the necessary funds.
He explained that preliminary estimates suggest the policy would cost between GH₵250 million and GH₵300 million annually.
Ablakwa emphasized that reversing the capping law, which currently limits the funds available to statutory bodies, would free up this amount.
“We are advocating for two major changes to GETFund,” Ablakwa stated. “First, we need to uncap the fund. Second, we must stop the Daakye Bond and its collateralisation effects.” He criticized the incumbent government’s capping law, which has imposed ceilings on funds for statutory agencies, including GETFund.
Ablakwa provided an example, noting that despite GETFund accruing GH₵7 billion, only GH₵3 billion was accessible due to the capping and obligations associated with the Daakye Bond. He assured that removing the cap and eliminating the collateralisation would unlock an additional GH₵4 billion, which would then be allocated to support the policy.
In a related statement, John Mahama addressed funding concerns during a Youth Town Hall Meeting at Ho Technical University. He assured that the policy would be financed by redirecting funds from wasteful government expenditures.
The NDC’s approach seeks to enhance access to tertiary education by eliminating fees for new university students, contingent on the party winning the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, a staff member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Legal Directorate, Kingsley Amoakwa-Boadu, has affirmed the party’s support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) proposal to scrap academic fees for all first-year tertiary students.
He acknowledged that any policy aimed at improving access to tertiary education is welcomed by the NPP, as Ghana requires educated minds to drive its development.
While expressing the NPP’s overall support for the policy, he emphasized that their primary concern lies with the practical implementation and financing of the NDC’s proposed initiative.
He questioned how the policy would be executed effectively, noting inconsistencies in the NDC’s communication.
“Our issue is how it is going to be implemented and financed,” Amoakwa-Boadu said.
“The NDC is not speaking from one script. You have someone say this and the other say that. You get someone say it is for all public universities, and what about technical universities?”
Source: tigpost.co
