Builsa South Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Clement Apaak has reaffirmed the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) pledge to deliver its free first-year university tuition policy.
However, Dr. Apaak has stated that the policy will not be compulsory, explaining that parents who may not be interested can opt out.
“That is an opinion. In any case, it is not going to be by compulsion. If there are persons who feel that they don’t need it and would not want to be beneficiaries of this arrangement, they are free to opt out. But as far as this is a manifesto promise made by John Mahama and the NDC to the people of Ghana, based on which we are now in government, we intend to carry it through,” Dr. Apaak clarified in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.
The former Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee emphasised that the NDC has no reason to back down on its campaign promises given the votes they polled in the election.
“John Dramani Mahama and the NDC campaigned vehemently, and if for nothing at all, the magnitude of the NDC’s victory in terms of parliamentary seats and the gap between our candidate, now President, and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President, should be a testament that this, among many other worthy and accepted policies, accounted for the overwhelming support we have received.
“So, we intend to proceed with the promise made by John Dramani Mahama and the NDC to support students in tertiary institutions with their fees,” he said.
President Mahama, at the launch of the Youth Manifesto ahead of the 2024 election, promised to provide tuition-free education for first-year students in public universities.
He explained that the policy aims to increase access to higher education, particularly for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
A section of Ghanaians has since questioned the sustainability of the policy, while demanding the source of funding. However, the NDC has argued it has conducted all the necessary research and analysis to facilitate the smooth implementation of the programme.
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