Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has cautioned against the exorbitant hostel fees being charged students across the country.
He says the private partnerships should not result to these hikes in hostel fees, indicating private partnership is not an incentive to abuse people.
He has disclosed that the government has constituted a committee comprising the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), and university authorities to address the concerns of the rising hostel accommodation fees across various campuses.
Mr. Iddrisu, speaking during the inauguration of governing councils for Jasikan College of Education and the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences on Tuesday, May 11, 2026, indicated that the government is not going to look on for such things to happen.
He noted there are ongoing public concerns about adjustments to hostel fees and explained that a committee involving the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and vice-chancellors of universities will continue consultations aimed at reaching an amicable solution.
According to the Minister, the government will not watch on for private partnerships in education infrastructure to operate without safeguards, insisting that public interest and social values must guide the delivery of such services.
Government, he further emphasised, will ensure a socially responsible approach in the provision of public goods, reflecting broader social concerns in its implementation.
Mr Iddrisu also announced that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences (UEAS) is expected to admit its first 800 students by October this year, adding that the government is also pursuing plans to establish additional universities, including one in the Western North Region.
He noted that proposals for the establishment of more public universities will be submitted to the president and government for policy guidance through the appropriate processes.
The minister further assured residents of the Western North Region that they are not being left out of the government’s plans for new universities, stressing that they remain part of ongoing considerations for the expansion of higher education infrastructure across the country.
