The Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has once again raised eyebrows with its latest education policy, the “No-Fees-Stress Programme”, which promises to absorb first-year academic user fees for public universities.
This means students of technical universities in Ghana as well as private universities will be excluded from the programme, sparking concerns about the party’s commitment to inclusive education.
This is not the first time the NDC has made promises on education that have not come to fruition.
In the previous NDC government led by John Mahama, it failed to deliver on promises such as reducing school fees, increasing funding for education, and improving infrastructure in schools.
George Opare Addo, the National Youth Organizer for the NDC, attempted to clarify the party’s position on Joy FM, stating that the policy will initially focus on public universities, with the possibility of including technical universities in the future.
He explained “We are looking at the public universities for now, but going forward, depending on how it rolls out, I believe along the line, they (technical university students) will all be brought on board”.
Meanwhile, critics argue that this is a familiar pattern of unfulfilled promises from the NDC, leaving many to wonder if the “No-Fees-Stress Programme” is just another empty promise.
The exclusion of technical university students from the programme has sparked conversations on both social and traditional media, with many seeking clarification on the NDC’s policy and questioning the party’s commitment to education.
-BY Daniel Bampoe