Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has credited President John Dramani Mahama as the originator of the government’s flagship “No Fees Stress” policy, describing his own role as strictly implementation.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on citi TV, Hon. Iddrisu said the initiative is being delivered through the Students Loan Trust Fund, with additional support from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). He stressed that the policy reflects the President’s commitment to easing financial pressures on students and expanding access to tertiary education.
Reflecting on earlier reforms, the Tamale South MP acknowledged his role in shaping Ghana’s cost-sharing framework for higher education, while also urging that he be credited for the establishment of GETFund. He recalled that both policies emerged from PER-funded Akosombo national forum on financing tertiary education held in Akosombo.
Hon. Iddrisu said discussions at the time concluded that government alone could not shoulder the full cost of tertiary education. That pragmatic approach, he noted, opened space for private participation and significantly expanded access, at a time when private tertiary institutions were virtually non-existent in Ghana.