Mahama deceived tertiary students into voting for him with ‘No Fees Stress' policy — Minority

Dr. Gideon Boako, MP for Tano North

The Minority in Parliament has accused President John Dramani Mahama of misleading tertiary students with his ‘No Fees Stress Policy’ to secure their votes.

At a press conference on Wednesday, January 15, Dr. Gideon Boako, MP for Tano North, criticized the policy, which promised to waive academic fees for first-year university students.

"How can a Finance Minister-designate look into the faces of parents and young Ghanaian students and say that because he is not yet the Minister, he cannot answer whether the pledge by President Mahama to pay for their fees would be honoured?" he questioned Finance Minister-Designate, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s response to the policy during his vetting.

“This is a clear way of telling our tertiary students that the NDC party deceived them into voting for them,” Dr. Boako remarked.

He further accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of misleading the public with unrealistic campaign promises.

The ‘No Fees Stress Policy’ was a key component of the NDC’s campaign, aiming to alleviate financial burdens on students entering public tertiary institutions.

Mr. Mahama pledged to fund the initiative, estimated to cost between GHS270 million and GHS290 million, by cutting what he described as excessive expenditures in the presidential budget.