Afenyo-Markin calls on Mahama government to waive admission fees for first-year students

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John Mahama, former Ghana president and leader of the opposition NDC.
John Mahama, former Ghana president and leader of the opposition NDC.
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Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has raised concerns about the Mahama administration’s commitment to its promise of covering the admission fees for first-year students at public universities. During the approval of ministerial nominees on January 21, 2025, Afenyo-Markin questioned why students and their families were still struggling to pay these fees despite the government’s assurance to cover them.

 

He referred to a statement from the Education Minister-designate, Haruna Iddrisu, which indicated that students who had already paid their admission fees would be reimbursed later in the year. Afenyo-Markin expressed confusion over why the government did not simply instruct universities to waive the fees initially, given their promise to cover the costs.

 

“This raises the question,” Afenyo-Markin said, “why did the government not instruct universities to waive these fees in the first place, knowing that it would cover the costs in the coming months?” He stressed the burden this placed on families, many of whom struggled to afford the upfront payments.

 

The Minority Leader pointed out that not all students or their families could afford the fees, which exacerbates the financial difficulties many face. “Mr. Speaker, my concern with the Education Minister nominee is that not every student or parent can raise the admission fees,” he noted. “I had hoped that the government’s policy of paying the fees for first-year students would have been implemented so that students could take advantage of it.”

 

Afenyo-Markin emphasized that the government could have easily instructed universities to delay the fee collection process, considering the commitment to cover the costs. He urged the government to speed up the process and ensure that students are not penalized due to financial constraints, calling for the fulfillment of their promises.

 

 

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