November 10th
This article from an African News Channel is suggesting
that, based on feedback from locals in Cape Town, the Fees Must Fall movement
might be losing traction due to the violence surrounding the protests. Some
people feel the protests have gone too far, and the violence has made people
lose sight of the original goal. One girl, aged 18 said “they are causing the
universities more money troubles by protesting. The real route is the
government who then needs to provide the universities with more money and only
then, will things get better,” referring to the millions of dollars of damage
done to campuses. I see her point there, if universities don’t already have
enough money to make up for the fees, and then have to spend more money for
reparations, how do students think this will help anyone? Another high school student said, “Next year
I might not have my opportunity to study due to the actions taken towards the
universities and the vandalism. They are taking us 10 steps back,” which is also
a salient point. What will these protests mean for the future of higher
education in South Africa if, after all the protests, the fees are still
increased and the damage is irreparable? Another student pointed out that many
incoming applicants to university don’t even know if they be admitted because
their applications might have been burnt when protesters set fire to buildings
with records in them. While these concerns are understandable, and I
sympathize, I still have a hard time fully agreeing with the criticisms of the
movement. Because more than anything, I couldn’t imagine being one of the
protesters who is fighting for a basic right they were promised. And I wonder
if those incoming high school students would really want to attend a university
with high tuition fees and social-colonial structures. Even after this media journal, I will
definitely have to keep following this story to see what will happen in 2017.
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