The Chief Executive Officer of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), Dr. Saajida Shiraz, has boldly declared that the era of unmet loan approvals and the Fund’s failure to meet its core mandate is over.
She made this statement at the official launch of the No Fees Stress Initiative, held at the SDA College of Education in Koforidua on 4th July 2025, where she openly addressed the Fund’s past shortcomings, describing them as being characterized by nonchalance.
According to Dr. Shiraz, the Fund has, for the first time in four years, disbursed second semester loans to qualified students. Just three days ago, she noted, the SLTF successfully paid out loans to 19,703 students across 135 public and private tertiary institutions, marking a major step in restoring the Fund’s full mandate.
This follows the earlier disbursement of first semester loans to 38,440 students across 145 institutions nationwide, a milestone she believes underscores the government’s renewed focus on tertiary education support.
She remarked that the days when SLTF approved students for loans it could not deliver are over, and that the nonchalance which once characterized the failure to meet core mandate obligations is now a thing of the past. She expressed appreciation to the GETFund Administrator for prioritizing the President’s tertiary education financing reset agenda and committing to make funds available to help the SLTF meet its commitments to students.
“The days where SLTF approved students for loans it could not give is over, and the nonchalance that characterized the shameful failure to meet core mandate obligations are a thing of the past. My appreciation goes to the GETFUND administrator, for prioritizing the President’s tertiary education financing reset agenda, and committing to making available to SLTF the funds that are necessary for us to meet our commitments to students.”she said
Dr. Shiraz also extended special thanks to Mr. Paul Adjei, the GETFund Administrator, for his unwavering support and responsiveness in releasing funds that make the disbursements possible.
Since the activation of the No Fees Stress Policy portal on April 29, 2025, the SLTF has recorded a total of 148,429 student accesses, with 124,338 completing the application process. Additionally, tertiary institutions have submitted enrollment data for 135,255 students, out of which 49,956 have already been validated for reimbursement. The SLTF has stated that more validations and payments will be processed in the coming days to ensure swift relief for students.
Looking ahead, Dr. Shiraz announced the upcoming launch of the Students Loan Plus initiative, scheduled to roll out at the start of the 2025/2026 academic year. This comprehensive support system will focus on continuing students and aims to eliminate financial barriers to equitable access to tertiary education.
In further demonstration of the government’s commitment to inclusivity, the Minister for Education has constituted a consultative committee to oversee the implementation of the Free Tertiary Education Policy for Persons with Disabilities. Dr. Shiraz assured stakeholders that the SLTF is fully prepared to operationalize the policy once the proposals are finalized.
In April 2025, the Fund also processed outstanding three-month allowances for 65,685 teacher trainees from 46 public Colleges of Education. The launch of the No-Academic-Fees Stress Policy now lays the groundwork for a broader conversation on financing frameworks tailored to nursing and teacher trainees in Ghana.
The No Fees Stress Initiative, launched under the direction of the Ministry of Education, aims to support first-year students in public tertiary institutions by providing timely reimbursements under the government’s No-Academic-Fees policy.
Dr. Shiraz noted that the policy is multifold and covers areas such as implementing a No-Academic-Fees policy for all first-year students in all public tertiary institutions, providing continuing students with enhanced financial assistance through the Student Loan Plus initiative, providing free tertiary education to all persons with disabilities, increasing loan amounts and ensuring prompt disbursements to students, and offering trainee allowances, student loans and other diverse funding options for teacher and nursing trainees.