SONA:Over 300,000 qualified SHS graduates have no access to tertiary education

 

President John Mahama has bemoaned the significant number of qualified senior high school graduates who fail to gain admission into universities.

He said as many as 300,000 products of the country’s senior high schools are unable to access tertiary education.

According to him, his administration is committed to stemming this tide, for which reason the ‘No Fee Stress’ policy will be implemented to the letter.

“To address this, the government is introducing a no-fee stress policy to eliminate tertiary admission fees, which currently serve as a barrier to higher education for some students.

“This will be supported by an enhanced Student Loan Scheme (Student Loan Plus). The no-fee policy will also cover all persons with disabilities (PwD) who gain admission to tertiary institutions. Additionally, TVET enrollment will be increased from 11% to 20% to boost employability,” he explained.

President Mahama acknowledged that rising enrolment has strained university infrastructure, causing overcrowding and inadequate accommodation.

 

He noted that in furtherance of this goal, “feasibility studies for new public universities or campuses of existing universities to be established in the six new regions will commence this year. Seed funding for these projects will come from the GETFund to enhance nationwide access.