Using Media Narratives to Highlight Counternarratives in South Africa's #FeesMustFall Movement

• In Event: Importance of Community Colleges and Global Counterparts to Higher Education: Building Dreams and Achieving Possibilities

Abstract

In 2014, a growing dissatisfaction with South African political leaders resulted in the #FeesMustFall protest movement. This protest stemmed from economic disparities in income and opportunity, political corruption, authoritarian government rule, and a lack of educational opportunity at colleges as well as at universities with an emphasis on initiating new discussions on lowering college fees at all higher educational institutions.
The author uses narrative policy analysis to understand social media activism by young adults who are attending various South African colleges and universities and how these protests have influenced politics regarding higher education quality and accessibility. The use of narrative policy analysis highlights competing policy stories from students, political leaders, and university leaders (Roe 1994). The resulting case study is bounded by time, in particular, the month October 2014, because during this month, South African university and college students began to organize and protest nationwide. Data collection focuses on a listserv intended for higher education professionals called Daily Higher Education News (DHEN). Included in the analysis is 166 news articles and items that are coded to capture the competing narratives.
Protests under the hashtag #FeesMustFall continued in South Africa after the data collection period that resulted in protestors blocking campus entrances and college leaders closing campuses. In 2016, college leaders wrote an open letter to President and the Minister of Higher Education, asking them to address the funding issue in higher education (Govender, 2016) that clearly viewed increased national government investment in higher education as a solution to on-going inequality problems. In addition, college leaders have formed partnerships with private development companies as a way to offer student services (e.g., housing) and to provide additional revenue. At the University of Witwatersrand, leaders are selling a 290 hectare tract of land (equivalent to 717 acres) for development (Kilian 2016). University leaders name student access and support as the reason the funds are needed. While college leaders have taken steps to address student concerns (e.g., allowing indebted students to graduate or selling land to raise revenue), these steps are unlikely to solve the larger more pervasive problem. Government funding has not increased and some colleges have authorized sizable fee increases. The national government responded by insisting universities not charge families making less than 600,000 rand a year ($44,000/year) the fee increase, and asking universities to develop systems such that students who owe from previous years can continue to attend college (SA News 2016).
This presentation explores how social media organized protests to be an effective communication pathway to the change policy that controls higher education access. The scholarly significance shows that these protests promulgated by social media did result in college youth leading a democratic dialogue between themselves and political leaders. When talking about the removal of a statue or a change in the language of instruction policy, the youth did effect positive change. However, the polarized interests in the #FeesMustFall debate continue to challenge all constituencies.

Author

• Kristin B. Wilson, University of Louisville