NDC Executive Urges Rethink of 'No Fees Stress' Policy, Says Wealthy Parents Should Not Benefit

A prominent National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and educationist is urging the government to reconsider how its flagship 'No Fees Stress' policy is administered, arguing that wealthy parents who lavish luxury cars and expensive gifts on their children after Senior High School should not be entitled to state-funded tertiary education support.

Wonder Victor Kutor, Esq., Board Chairman of VRA International Schools Ltd, made the remarks at the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2026 at Akosombo International School on Saturday, 27th June 2026. He maintained that while he broadly supports the policy's intention of easing financial pressure on families, its current implementation fails to distinguish between those who genuinely need assistance and those who clearly do not.

"Parents who openly display wealth cannot reasonably claim they are unable to finance their children's tertiary education," Mr. Kutor argued, pointing to the now widely-condemned trend of parents gifting graduating SHS students with vehicles reportedly valued at over US$500,000. Videos and photographs of such celebrations spread rapidly on social media, eventually prompting the Ghana Education Service (GES) to prohibit the practice.

Over GH¢936 Million Spent in Two Years

The 'No Fees Stress' policy is already in full operation, with the government having disbursed GH¢537 million to support approximately 159,750 first-year students in public tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic year. In the preceding year, GH¢399 million was spent on around 152,000 students, bringing the cumulative expenditure under the programme to more than GH¢936 million over two academic years.

Mr. Kutor, who has personally sponsored underprivileged students with educational materials and logistical support, stressed that his concern is not with the policy itself but with ensuring that limited public resources reach those who truly need them. He called on the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and the Students Loan Trust Fund — the implementing agency — to introduce a means-testing mechanism so that assistance is properly directed at students from less privileged backgrounds.

His comments have reignited a broader public debate about the sustainability and fairness of universal free tertiary education support at a time when Ghana's public finances remain under significant strain.