UTAG objects to Mahama’s wholesale payment of fees

• Aug 15, 2024

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has raised objections to the NDC's John Dramani Mahama's pledge to pay academic user facility fees for all level 100 students if elected into power.

With over forty-five thousand eligible students unable to gain university admission each year, primarily due to financial constraints, the NDC aims to boost university enrolment by removing these financial barriers.

However, UTAG suggests that the funds should be distributed to universities as bursaries to be administered directly.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express, the President of UTAG, Professor Mahamoud Akudugu said another alternative will be for the policy to target only needy students.

"It is good news that government wants to do this, but we at the universities we are also concerned about the fact that currently, government's funding to the universities have drastically declined to the extent that only salaries are being paid. Universities are expected to pay their own electricity, utility bills and all the rest.

"For us, we believe that this policy should be targeted for equity and besides that, we would have even preferred that this is given as bursaries and scholarships or grants to the universities to administer because they will be able to know who are the needy students based on their history. It should be targeted because that is the only way to create equity when it comes to these type of policies."

On his part, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare said the suggestion by UTAG is the best practice around the world.

"The best practice in western countries dictate that for bursaries and financial assistant schemes to benefit students, the universities are the ones who must administer them and then report to the scholarship authority."