The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has issued a formal directive to the University of Ghana, Legon, demanding the immediate reversal of a 25% fee increase implemented for the 2025/2026 academic year.
In a letter dated January 5, 2026, the Commission noted that the university’s actions violated a standing order that prohibited publicly funded tertiary institutions from raising fees without explicit parliamentary approval.
The directive follows an earlier communication from GTEC dated November 3, 2025, which explicitly instructed all public tertiary institutions not to implement any fee increases for the 2025/2026 academic year without prior parliamentary approval.
“Reference is made to our letter dated November 3, 2025 – Ref. No. HA 42/1/01 – (copy attached), in which the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission explicitly directed all publicly funded tertiary institutions not to implement any fee increases for the 2025/2026 academic year. Notwithstanding this directive, the Commission has been made aware that the University of Ghana has increased fees by 25% and, in certain instances, introduced new fees without prior approval from the relevant authorities, as required by law,” the letter stated.
GTEC subsequently outlined specific actions the University of Ghana must take to address the situation.
“Informed by this, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, by this letter, requests the University of Ghana to do the following: the immediate reversal of all fee increases and dues, crediting continuing students who have overpaid against the next academic year’s fees, and refunding final-year students who paid fees above last academic year’s rates. Revert all dues, including SRC and GRASSAG dues, to last year’s rates and to suspend any newly introduced fees such as 75th Anniversary dues and development levies, unless such fees were already in existence. All fees, must be set at the previous academic year’s rates’’, GTEC noted.
The commission also ordered the university to provide evidence of adherence by January 12, 2026 or face sanctions of the law.
“You are hereby requested to provide GTEC with evidence of compliance not later than January 12, 2026. Failure to do so will result in the Commission instituting serious regulatory sanctions against the University of Ghana,” the letter cautioned.
GTEC further emphasised that any deviation from the directive must receive explicit written authorisation from the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, with the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, designated as the liaison on the matter.
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Story by Oliver Arthur Acorlor| univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Deborah Owusu
