The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has vowed to resist any attempt by some public universities to increase their fees beyond the proposed 15% threshold.
The union has raised concern that some universities have taken advantage of the 15% increment of fees approved by Parliament to overcharge students.
At a presser on Wednesday, December 28, to register their displeasure, NUGS President Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo stressed that despite the 15% threshold approved by Parliament based on the Fees and Charges Act 2022 (Act 1080), some tertiary institutions are blatantly disregarding the said directive.
He revealed that some schools are charging students in excess of 30% and, in some cases, over 50%.
“The University of Ghana has increased its academic user fees for some departments by over 40%. To make matters worse, they have increased residential facility user fees to about 70% and, in some situations, 100%.
“KNUST has also increased fees by over 90%, and UCC is also deeply involved, with some increment crossing 25%. As we speak, the UCC Faculty of Social Science has increased its fees by 27%.
“University of Mines and Technology is also doing the same with increments as high as 40%. The University of Education has also charged its freshmen an increment of 40%, while graduate fees have, in some instances, increased up to 40%,” he revealed on Wednesday.
Dennis Appiah Ampofo-Larbi indicated this increment is breeding agitations and confusion within the student body across the country.
He reiterated that any attempt to increase fees above the stated threshold would amount to contempt of Parliament.
The union, therefore, called on all institutions that have illegally increased fees beyond the threshold to reverse such increments immediately.