Dr Clement Apaak played key role in the fight against UG fee increment
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has disclosed that the government stepped in on the University of Ghana (UG) fee hikes because growing anger from students and parents could not be ignored.
He made the remarks on Citi FM’s ‘Eyewitness News’ while explaining why the Ministry of Education directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to intervene and suspend the controversial increases.
The former University of Ghana student said the ministry intervened in the public interest.
UG students kick against over 25% fee hikes for 2025/26 academic year
“We thought that the best thing was to instruct GTEC to call the university to stay any increase so that we can have a dialogue to understand the justification because the level of public outcry from students and parents was such that we couldn’t have ignored,” he stressed.
He further disclosed that the process began after the Minister of Education instructed him over the weekend to engage GTEC to understand reports of a 25 percent increment in academic fees at the University of Ghana.
“Over the weekend, the minister instructed me to get in touch with GTEC to understand the 25% increment in academic fees. Subsequent to that, we became aware that the University of Ghana had made a public statement through its Pro VC that the increases were as a result of third-party increases,” Dr Apaak said.
According to him, the ministry also took note of explanations issued by the University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (UGSRC), which sought to justify some of the increments.
However, Dr Apaak stressed that beyond explanations, the legal framework governing fees could not be overlooked. He pointed out that Parliament had not approved any fee increases under the Fees and Charges Act, making the situation legally problematic.
“Given that we work with laws and there are processes and procedures, and the fact that Parliament had not granted an increase through the Fees and Charges Act, we thought that the best thing was to instruct GTEC to call the university to stay any increase,” he explained.
He said the decision was also influenced by the scale of public reaction.
As a result, he said the Education minister has tasked him to lead engagements among all affected parties.
“The level of public outcry from students and parents was such that we couldn’t have ignored it. The minister has assigned me to work with the University of Ghana, the student leaders and GTEC for us to look at something that will be acceptable,” he said, adding that dialogue remains the preferred path.
Earlier on the programme, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare, argued that the increases in question were not management-imposed academic fees but third-party charges approved by student leadership.
“What is in the report is about third party fees which were imposed by the student leadership,” Prof Awandare said, adding that SRC and GRASSAG used their own governance structures to approve the charges.
Despite that explanation, Dr Apaak’s comments signal government’s determination to pause the increases and seek a resolution that addresses both legal requirements and public concerns.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com
