The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has said a manifesto promise by the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to fully absorb fees for all fresh tertiary students admitted from the 2020/21 academic is commendable.

The association of graduate students said in a press release dated December 1, 2020, that the policy is a step in the right direction.

The NDC announced that it has incorporated free tertiary education for students admitted in the 2020/2021 academic year into its 2020 manifesto.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, National Chairman of the party, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, said the proposal to update the manifesto was made by NDC’s Education Policy Group.

Also, continuing students will pay half of their school fees under the updated manifesto promise.

According to the statement, the next NDC government will absorb “the full school fees of Ghanaian students who will be admitted to tertiary institutions in the 2020/2021 academic year.”

“This policy is an enhancement of our commitment in the People's Manifesto to absorb 50% of the school fees of all tertiary students for the 2020/2021 academic year through the ‘Kyemupe’ policy, which will now apply to only continuing students in tertiary institutions in the country,” the statement added.

The NUGS said in its statement said that it will hold the NDC and John Dramani Mahama, the party’s flagbearer, accountable in fulfilment of this policy proposal if it wins the elections in December 7, 2020.

With days to the presidential and parliamentary elections, the NDC seems to be trying to outdo the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s free Senior High School policy which gained grounds in the 2016 electioneering campaign.

Read the full statement from NUGS below.