The Ministry of Health has announced a 50% reduction in admission fees for Nursing and Allied Health Training Institutions, effective from the 2025/2026 academic year, under government’s flagship “No-Fee-Stress” policy.
According to the Ministry, government will absorb half of the approved fees for all first-year students, a move it says is meant to ease financial burdens on parents and promote equitable access to healthcare education.
Principals of training institutions have been warned against charging above the approved amounts or adding unapproved items, with sanctions promised for defaulters.
While the announcement has been made, there is debate about whether this intervention could pave the way for the withdrawal of trainee allowances, a long-standing but controversial policy and their possible replacement with a loan scheme.
Nonetheless, student allowances for nursing trainees have historically been a politically sensitive issue. Previous governments alternated between scrapping and restoring them, with critics arguing they were unsustainable, while supporters maintained they were essential to support trainees during their studies.
Experts warn that absorbing half of student fees could be used as a trade-off to eventually phase out allowances. Furthermore, this development raises the possibility that government may gradually shift towards a student loan model for nursing trainees, similar to other tertiary institutions.
The Ministry of Health, while celebrating the “No-Fee-Stress” policy as proof of government’s commitment to student welfare, has not clarified whether allowances will remain intact alongside the fee reduction.
