Regulatory Action on Unapproved Fee Increase at the University of Ghana

Accra Ghana January 2026

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission GTEC has directed the University of Ghana to reverse a recently implemented increase in student fees, following confirmation that the adjustment was carried out without the required parliamentary approval. The directive has reignited national debate on governance, accountability and compliance within Ghana’s public tertiary education system.

Unapproved Fee Increase Raises Serious Concerns

In late 2025, the University of Ghana announced an upward adjustment in tuition and mandatory academic related fees for the 2025 and 2026 academic year. The increases, which averaged about twenty five percent across several fee categories, immediately triggered concern among students, parents and education policy stakeholders.

Beyond the economic burden on students, the fundamental issue raised by the increase was the failure to comply with established legal procedures. Ghana’s Fees and Charges Act clearly mandates that any fee increase by a public tertiary institution must receive prior parliamentary approval before implementation.

GTEC Orders Immediate Reversal

In an official directive dated January 5, 2026, GTEC instructed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana to immediately reverse all unapproved fee increments. The Commission ordered the restoration of fees to their previous academic year levels and directed the university to refund or credit any excess amounts already paid by students.

The directive further instructed the suspension of all newly introduced charges, including anniversary and development related levies, until the appropriate approvals are obtained.

Legal and Regulatory Basis

GTEC referenced its earlier nationwide directive issued on November 3, 2025, which explicitly barred all public tertiary institutions from increasing fees for the 2025 and 2026 academic year without parliamentary approval. This regulatory requirement exists to ensure transparency, protect students and prevent arbitrary financial decisions within publicly funded institutions.

Student and Public Reaction

Student bodies and education advocacy groups have welcomed the intervention by GTEC, describing it as timely and necessary. Many believe the directive restores confidence in regulatory oversight and protects vulnerable students from sudden financial hardship.

Education policy analysts have also stressed that while universities face genuine funding challenges, such pressures cannot justify the circumvention of established legal processes.

CREP Africa Proposed Solutions

CREP Africa believes that resolving this issue requires both immediate corrective measures and long term structural reforms. The following solutions are proposed to prevent a recurrence and strengthen governance in the tertiary education sector.

First, government must establish a predictable and timely release of statutory funding to public universities. Delays in subventions often compel institutions to resort to unapproved fee increases. Sustainable public financing will reduce this pressure.

Second, GTEC should introduce a standardized national fee approval calendar. All public universities must submit proposed fee adjustments well in advance to allow sufficient time for regulatory and parliamentary review before the academic year begins.

Third, universities must strengthen internal financial planning and expenditure control systems. Cost efficiency audits should be mandatory to ensure that existing resources are optimally utilized before any consideration of fee increases.

Fourth, Parliament should consider creating a special fast track approval mechanism for genuine emergency financial adjustments. This would ensure flexibility while maintaining constitutional oversight.

Fifth, student representation in fee related decision making must be institutionalized. Involving student leadership at the planning stage will improve transparency and reduce conflict.

Finally, sanctions for regulatory breaches must be enforced consistently. Where university management deliberately violates approval procedures, personal accountability mechanisms should be triggered to deter future infractions.

The directive by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission affirms the supremacy of the law in the governance of public universities. CREP Africa maintains that legal compliance, financial discipline and stakeholder engagement must guide tertiary education financing.

Without these reforms, unapproved fee increases will continue to undermine trust in public institutions and threaten access to higher education for economically disadvantaged students.

CREP Africa remains committed to evidence based advocacy and policy reform to safeguard fairness and accountability in Africa’s education systems.