Baffour Awuah criticises NDC's 'Zero Academic Fee' policy for first-year university students

The National Democratic Congress has faced heavy criticism from the New Patriotic Party for their 'Zero Academic Fee' policy for first-year university students.

The NPP's Parliamentary Candidate for Manhyia South in the Ashanti Region, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, believes the policy stems from the NDC's confusion about the needs of tertiary students.

He argues that policies should be clear and well thought out to effectively solve problems, unlike what the NDC is proposing.

Baffour Awuah emphasised that he views the policy as a populist move to gain votes.

In an interview on Sompa TV, he questioned the NDC about the scope and financial implications of the policy, both for the government and the universities involved.

Drawing from his experience on the board of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, he suggested that the NDC needs to carefully consider the beneficiaries, implementation strategy, and types of universities involved.

"The University calendar isn't favourable for an early rollout as admissions have already been completed. If there's anything to be done about this, it would be in 2026.

"More so, the NDC would have to secure Parliamentary approval for any expenditure to be undertaken on such a policy, and note that President Akufo-Addo's final budget is what the next administration would have to work with for 2025," he elaborated.

The lawyer also raised concerns about whether the NDC's policy would cover fee-paying students, as universities like KNUST rely heavily on these fees for funding.

He stressed the need for the NDC to provide a more detailed explanation and justification for their proposal to convince Ghanaian voters.

The NDC announced the "No Academic Fees for Level 100 students" initiative during the launch of their Youth Manifesto on August 12, 2024.

The NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama estimates that the initiative would cost between GH¢270 million and GH¢290 million.

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FREE TUITION FEES FOR FIRST YEAR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, ANOTHER POOR POLICY PROPOSITION BY JM- NPP MANHYIA SOUTH PC

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