The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has cautioned public tertiary institutions against reviewing or implementing new student fees for the 2025/2026 academic year without parliamentary approval.
The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, on Monday, November 3, 2025, directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to issue a firm instruction to all public universities to halt any unauthorised increase in tuition fees.
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The directive follows reports that some universities have arbitrarily raised their fees after the government announced the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which provides free tertiary education for first-year students and persons with disabilities.
In the said directive issued to Vice Chancellors of traditional and technical universities, GTEC noted that some institutions have, over the years, adjusted student fees without following due process, leading to challenges in implementation and compliance.
“To ensure compliance with statutory requirements under the Fees and Charges Act and in line with its mandate to promote the effective and efficient operation of tertiary education institutions, GTEC reminds all universities that new fees for the 2025/2026 academic year cannot be charged without prior approval from Parliament, as mandated by law,” the statement said.
The Commission, therefore, instructed universities to maintain current fees until Parliament approves any proposed revisions.
“Vice Chancellors are hereby reminded to maintain the current student fees and only implement the revised fees for the 2025/2026 academic year after obtaining approval from Parliament,” the statement emphasized.
The directive, signed by Dr. Emmanuel Oware Nyarko, Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance, on behalf of the Director-General of GTEC, was copied to the Minister of Education, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education, and the Executive Secretaries of both the Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG) and the Vice Chancellors Technical Universities Ghana (VCTU-G).
