'Bare-faced failure' - Miracles Aboagye criticises No Fees Stress policy

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, an aide to New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has accused the government of failing to deliver on its promise of the “No Fees Stress” policy.

In a post shared on his X page on August 19, 2026, he said the promise made to Ghanaians was straightforward; students who gained admission to tertiary institutions would not have to struggle to raise money before enrolling, as the government would pay their academic fees directly to their institutions.

“The Promise was clear: NO STRESS FEE. The explanation was without ambiguity: Get admission to tertiary, no stress to look for money from anywhere, just pick your bag and go to school; your fees will be paid to the university as a grant," he wrote.

Aboagye explained that the policy was presented to young Ghanaians as a system under which students could secure admission without having to think of how to fund their tuition.

However, he argued that the current implementation of the programme had departed from that promise, leaving students to find money to pay their fees before applying for reimbursement.

The policy, he said, has created a financial burden for students who could not afford to pay their fees upfront.

“This got young Ghanaians excited, they queued to vote for the NDC, and now, they have to stress, pray and hope they find their own money to enter university before applying for a refund,” he said.

He claimed that the situation had prevented some prospective students from accessing university, particularly those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds who were unable to raise the required fees at the point of admission.

“Thousands have been shut out of accessing university in the past two academic years because they could not find money,” he alleged.

Aboagye further indicated that the alleged difficulty was particularly troubling because the government had campaigned on a promise that financial constraints would no longer prevent qualified young people from entering tertiary education.

He also criticised increases in tertiary fees, arguing that higher charges had further undermined the relief the programme was supposed to provide.

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“Even more distressing: You increase the fees by almost 30%,” he said.

He said the issue is not simply whether the government eventually reimburses students, but whether the system delivers the immediate financial relief that was promised.

“You cannot place any spin on this; it’s a bare-faced failure and the effect on the poor who hoped and believed cannot be ignored,” he said.

The No Fees Stress policy is aimed at reducing financial barriers to higher education by covering academic fees for eligible Level 100 students.

See the post below:

The Promise was clear : NO STRESS FEE

The explanation was without ambiguity: Get admission to tertiary, no stress to look for money from anywhere, just pick your bag and go to school, your fees will be paid to the university as a Grant.

This got young Ghanaians excited, they… pic.twitter.com/s5ntWxiE2G

— Dennis Edward Aboagye (@DennisMiracles) August 18, 2026

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