Analyzing Members of Public's Reaction to the 2015/2016 Fees Hike on Higher Education in Public Universities in Malawi

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing the members of public's reactions to the 2015 and 2016 public universities fees hike announcements in Malawi through their comments made on the two online news articles. The study responded to two research questions which tried to find out the extent to which the public university fees hike was justified, as well as its impact on Malawians. The study used social inquiry research design in which 80 comments posted in response to two online news articles related to fees hike in Malawi were analyzed. Findings revealed mixed reactions amongst the online news readers. 42.5 percent were of the opinion that public university fees hike was justified while the rest (57 percent) thought it was not justified. According to the 42.5 percent in favor of the fees hike, running higher education institution costs money, it is for individuals‟ benefits, and quality higher education does not come cheap hence the need for students to pay. The rest 58 percent argued that the majority of Malawians are poor hence cannot afford expensive higher education, and that it was government's responsibility to finance higher education in the country. The study therefore concluded that the higher education fee hike was long overdue in Malawi; however, the fees hike implementation strategy was not noble. It should have been a gradual process with small percentages every year so that people would have not felt the pain of the 300% hiked fees in a single year.