{"id":110599,"date":"2026-01-10T05:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=110599"},"modified":"2026-01-10T05:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:38:21","slug":"dr-apaak-meets-stakeholders-to-resolve-ug-fee-hike-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=110599","title":{"rendered":"Dr Apaak meets stakeholders to resolve UG fee hike dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ministry of Education has launched a high-level mediation effort to resolve a standoff at the University of Ghana (UG) over fee hikes that have triggered student unrest and a stern regulatory crackdown.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, January 8, 2026, a meeting was convened, bringing together the university\u2019s top management, student leaders, and regulators. <\/p>\n

The session was chaired by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, acting under the mandate of the sector minister to secure a legally compliant resolution to a dispute that has left thousands of students in financial limbo.<\/p>\n

The meeting follows a decisive intervention by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).<\/p>\n

In a directive issued on January 5, GTEC boss Prof. Abdulai Jinapor ordered the university to immediately roll back all unapproved price increases. <\/p>\n

The commission has demanded that final-year students who have already paid the inflated rates be refunded, while continuing students must receive credit on their accounts.<\/p>\n

The university has been given until January 12, 2026, to provide documented evidence of compliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cFailure would attract serious regulatory sanctions,\u201d the commission warned in its correspondence to Vice-Chancellor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo.<\/p>\n

The backlash centres on reports of academic fee increases averaging 25 <\/strong>per cent. <\/p>\n

The burden has fallen most heavily on first-year students, some of whom were reportedly slapped with hikes as high as 34 percent, while continuing students faced a 27 percent surge.<\/p>\n

Defending the ministry\u2019s decision to step in, Dr. Apaak noted that the volume of complaints from the public made silence impossible.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe level of public outcry from students and parents was such that we couldn\u2019t have ignored it,\u201d Dr. Apaak stated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He emphasised that under the Fees and Charges Act, any adjustment requires Parliamentary approval\u2014a step that was bypassed in this instance.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGiven that we work with laws and there are processes and procedures, the best thing was to instruct GTEC to call the university to stop any increase,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The University of Ghana management has attempted to distance itself from the academic portion of the hike. <\/p>\n

Prof. Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, argued that the disputed figures were largely \u201cthird-party fees\u201d negotiated and approved by student representatives to cover rising utility costs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat is in the report is about third-party fees which were imposed by the student leadership,\u201d Prof. Awandare maintained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

However, the University of Ghana Students\u2019 Representative Council (UGSRC) is facing its own internal pressure. <\/p>\n

SRC President Larbi Ofori Richmond admitted that a \u20b5200 levy was added to fee bills, but framed it as a strategic investment for a proposed 15,000-capacity hostel aimed at solving the campus\u2019s perennial accommodation crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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