The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) in Ghana has identified errors in students’ Ghana Card verification numbers as the primary cause for delays in processing reimbursements under the government’s ‘No-Fees-Stress’ policy. The issue affects some Level 100 students who submitted inaccurate personal identification details during their registration with tertiary institutions, preventing the SLTF from safely disbursing funds.
Context of the ‘No-Fees-Stress’ Policy
The ‘No-Fees-Stress’ initiative was launched by the government to alleviate the financial pressure on students enrolled in public tertiary institutions. It operates through a designated online platform where approved academic fees are reimbursed to eligible students, aiming to ensure accessibility to higher education.
Discrepancies in Ghana Card Data
John Abbew Nkrumah, the Director of Disbursement at SLTF, explained that the system flagged discrepancies during verification. These issues arose when students either provided incorrect Ghana Card numbers or when their respective institutions failed to properly validate the submitted details. Such inconsistencies create significant hurdles in the secure processing of reimbursements.
Students who have not received their reimbursements and see notifications about un-uploaded details are advised to contact their educational institutions immediately. The goal is to ensure that the necessary corrections are made to their records. Cases currently marked as ‘pending disbursement’ are expected to be processed as the verification backlog is cleared.
SLTF’s Response and Student Concerns
Concerns have been voiced by some first-year students who applied for the policy but have not yet received their fee reimbursements. Mr. Nkrumah urged these students to verify their information on the SLTF portal. This step allows them to confirm if their details have been accurately captured in the system.
He assured that once the errors related to Ghana Card information are rectified, affected students will receive their due refunds. The SLTF is committed to resolving these verification issues to facilitate the timely disbursement of funds.
Progress and Ongoing Disbursements
Despite the challenges, the SLTF has confirmed significant progress in processing reimbursements for the current academic year. As of the latest report, 58,528 students across public and technical universities have successfully received their reimbursements under the 2025/2026 academic year disbursement process. This indicates that the system is functioning for a large majority of applicants.
Implications for Students and Institutions
The delays highlight the critical importance of accurate data submission and robust verification processes. For students, it underscores the need for diligence in providing correct personal information and following up with their institutions when issues arise. For educational institutions, it points to the necessity of ensuring their data validation systems are functioning correctly to support government initiatives like ‘No-Fees-Stress’.
The reliance on the Ghana Card as a primary identification tool for such significant financial disbursements means that any errors in this linkage can have direct and immediate consequences for students. As the SLTF works to resolve these Ghana Card-related issues, the focus will be on streamlining the verification process to prevent future occurrences. Stakeholders will be watching to see if further enhancements to data validation protocols are implemented by both the SLTF and the tertiary institutions involved.
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