John Mahama’s Stress-Free’ policy for first-year public university students is a disadvantage to private universities – Prof. Stephen Adei
Emeritus Professor Stephen Adei has raised concerns about the government’s new “stress-free” education initiative for first-year students in public universities, arguing that the policy places private universities at a significant disadvantage.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Stephen Boateng Esq Lecture, held last Saturday at Aseda House in Kumasi, Prof. Adei warned that while easing the financial and administrative burden on freshmen in public institutions is commendable, it inadvertently creates an uneven playing field within the tertiary education sector.
He explained that private universities, which rely heavily on student fees for their survival, now face stiffer competition as prospective students are naturally drawn to the less costly public option. According to him, this shift could weaken private universities, limit their ability to improve facilities, and ultimately reduce the diversity and competitiveness of higher education in Ghana.
Prof. Adei urged policymakers to develop complementary support systems for private universities to prevent long-term imbalance.
He stressed that a healthy tertiary ecosystem requires strength in both public and private institutions, not policies that elevate one at the expense of the other.
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