Chanco students protest over tuition fee hike

Students from Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi (Unima) today marched to present a petition to the office of the district commissioner in Zomba in protest of a hike in tuition fees for self-sponsored students of the college.

The protesting students started their protest march from the college at around 9am while chanting songs of distaste over the fee rise.

The petition signed by the Students Union of Chancellor College (Succ) president Israel Masiyano and Wanangwa Kalua, was
received by a representative from the DC’s office.

In the petition to the Unima Chancellor, the students among other concerns, expressed worry over the issue handling of the fee adjustment by college
authorities.

“A week before Chancellor College opened for its 2012/2013 academic year, it was announced that the fees for both government-sponsored and
self-sponsored students had been hiked by 150 percent by the Council of the University of Malawi. We feel unfairly treated in the way the fee hike was implemented. We believe such a serious decision required proper and timely budgeting.

As such, ample time was supposed to have been given before the fee increment was made,” reads the petition in part.