The release added that eliminating an estimated Le5.6 billion for the payment of university application forms will not only be a huge relief but also huge savings for parents, guardians and relatives as well as increase access to higher education.

Beneficiaries of this latest policy include students Fourah Bay College (FBC), Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCE&T), Eastern Polytechnic, Freetown Teachers College (FTC), University of Makeni (UNIMAK), Ernest Bai Koroma University and Bonthe Technical College (BTC).

The announcement was received by the general public especially students and people supporting young people in universities with utter disbelief which was followed by jubilation and commendation of the government.

The refunds will be provided through the Institutions listed above, after a full verification of total number of applicants and amount paid by each applicant. On receipt of funds from Government, the Institutions will refund the same amount to all those who bought application forms for September 2018/2019 academic year.

His Excellency the President believes that at a time when he inherited an economy that is near collapse, the cost of application forms for university admission is a burden for many parents, guardians and relatives supporting young people to access higher education. Eliminating an estimated Le 5.6 billion for the payment of university application fees will not only be huge savings for parents, guardians and relatives but also it will increase access to higher education for young people.