In a decisive stance against fee increases, Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, announced on January 5, 2026, that the ministry will not endorse any hikes in tuition fees at the University of Ghana. This announcement comes as students express their concerns regarding proposed increases that could affect their financial stability.
During an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Dr. Apaak emphasized the necessity for any adjustments to fees to undergo proper consultation and comply with statutory approval processes. He firmly rejected the notion of a 25% increase suggested by the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), stating that such changes could impose undue financial strain on students, particularly those new to university life.
Furthermore, Dr. Apaak mandated that any fees already collected under the new proposed structure be reversed immediately. “No authorization has been granted for any increases, and we expect all fees to revert to the approved amounts from the previous academic year,” he stated.
These remarks follow a directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which ordered the University of Ghana to retract recent fee hikes implemented without necessary approvals. A communication dated January 5, 2026, addressed to the Vice-Chancellor, highlighted that the university had raised academic fees by approximately 25% and introduced new charges without the required clearance from the authorities.
GTEC’s letter outlined a series of corrective actions, demanding the immediate reversal of all fee increases and ensuring that students who have overpaid be credited for the upcoming academic year. For final-year students, any excess payments should be refunded. The commission also instructed that all dues, including those related to SRC and GRASAG, revert to previously sanctioned rates, and newly introduced fees must be suspended unless they align with last year’s amounts.
“We request evidence of compliance with these directives by January 12, 2026, and failure to comply could lead to serious regulatory consequences,” the letter warned.
In response to the uproar among students, the University of Ghana clarified that the fee increases reported for the 2025/2026 academic year are primarily linked to third-party charges imposed by the UGSRC, rather than increases approved by the university’s administration.
This developing situation has led to significant unrest among students, with many first-year students facing fee increases exceeding 30%, while continuing students are encountering much higher financial obligations compared to the previous year.
