What’s this about #FeesMustFall?

Fees Must Fall (FMF) as a movement can be understood as a manifestation of the youth’s disillusionment with decisions made by government and tertiary institutions across the country.

Last year, student protesters marched against financial exclusion, student debt and the prospect of unemployment due to withheld qualifications. They premised their struggle on the belief that education should be a right and not a financial privilege.

FMF followed the momentum set by other student campaigns around the country, including #RhodesMustFall, #OpenStellenbosch, #TransformWits and #ReformPuk.

FMF first rose in October 2015 as a response to Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande’s announcement to increase tuition fees capped at 6%. University of Cape Town students were the first to protest, outside the parliament precinct in Cape Town no less.

Demonstrations subsequently spread to universities and colleges in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Potchefstroom and Grahamstown.

Following Nzimande’s announcement, President Jacob Zuma attempted to pacify the nationwide outrage by freezing the fee rates for 2016.

However, according to another announcement by Nzimande on September 19, universities could set their own fee increases for 2017 as long as they were capped at 8%. The insistence to implement a fee increase confirmed student suspicions that “fees had not fallen”.

#FMF gained traction on social media where students, and those in solidarity, generated discourse around the need for tertiary institutions to transform, and create a more inclusive learning environment.

The movement focused on the disruption of bureaucratic protocols and procedures that are seen as forsaking students who are unable to meet the financial requirements of life at tertiary institutions.

Students organised and mobilised through social media, like the UCKAR Student Body Page 2016 on Facebook, and convened meetings to discuss their demands, demon- stration times and venues, as well as ideas on the way forward.

In the age of instant connectivity and communication, much of the FMF movement was captured and dispersed on social media in a network of participatory and collaborative journalism.

Student media played a significant role in shaping the narrative of the movement, with student media like The Oppidan Press and Activate spearheading the reportage by live tweeting meetings, demonstrations, acts of intimidation, as well as circulating summarised legal documents.

Despite the constructive progress made between student protesters and management at universities, the militarisation of campuses complicated the situation.

Some student protesters were met with force by police and private security firms, who were expected to minimise the potential for violence at protests.

Many were victims of tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and stun grenades.

Some have said that the demand for free education is unreasonable and unattainable, but FMF calls for students’ fees to be determined by a dignified consideration of their socio-economic circumstances, and for financial provision to be made by government and tertiary institutions.

The movement is expected to continue this year, as students strive to make education more accessible to all.