's promise of paying the academic fees of students entering the first year of all public universities in the country has created a barrage of divergent views on social media. Speaking at the launch of the ' Youth Manifesto in Accra on August 12, 2024, a member of the party communicated Mahama's promise that first-year students of public tertiary institutions will not be required to pay academic fees to the teeming crowd at the Bukom Boxing Arena. One of the speakers at the event, a student leader, told the audience that one of Mahama's promises in the NDC Youth Manifesto is that no first-year student entering the country's universities would have to worry about paying academic fees. He said that students not paying academic fees means that a major challenge which keeps a lot of brilliant students out of the classroom would be a thing of the past. "I want you all to stay with me. No fees stress.