Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Director of Interparty and Civil Society Relations of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has stated that the NDC administration is more concerned with addressing moral hazards and corruption that may arise from implementing the "no academic fees for level 100 students" initiative. He emphasized that funding is not a concern, as they can find resources to finance the initiative. Otokunor suggested decapping the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to release 300 million Cedis per year for the initiative.
Professor Ransford Gyampo from the University of Ghana supported the initiative, noting that it will help needy but brilliant students. He initially worried that the policy would reduce university revenue, but Mr. Mahama's assurance of increased and timely government subventions alleviated his concerns. Gyampo highlighted the decline in government subventions to universities, making it challenging for them to cover expenses beyond salaries.
Mr. Mahama estimated the initiative's cost at 270-290 million Cedis and assured Ghanaians that his administration would raise funds to support the project. He cited potential areas for cost-cutting, such as reducing waste in the system and allocating funds from the Office of the President's budget. Mahama emphasized that the initiative aims to alleviate "fee stress" for first-year students and promised to increase and timely release government subventions to universities.
The NDC administration believes that the initiative will help address the challenge of students being unable to pay for their admission fees, a major obstacle for many students seeking university education. Otokunor emphasized the need for efficiency mechanisms to track numbers and prevent ghost names. Mahama's administration is committed to finding resources to finance the initiative and addressing potential moral hazards and corruption.
In summary, the NDC administration is confident in its ability to fund the "no academic fees for level 100 students" initiative and is more concerned with addressing potential moral hazards and corruption. They believe that the initiative will help needy students and alleviate "fee stress" while promising to increase and timely release government subventions to universities.
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