Malawian students continue fee hike protests

**Demonstrators gesture at a photographer during a protest over planned increases in tuition fees outside the**

Lilongwe – Malawian nursing students have given President Peter Mutharika five days to reverse a proposed fee increase, the Nyasa Times reports.
Kamuzu College of Nursing students have called the increase in student fees from 275 000 (about R38 000) Kenyan shillings to K400 000 (about R56 000) disgusting.

Mutharika was expected to meet students from the University of Malawi at a ceremony to hand over degrees on Wednesday, August 10 at Chancellor College. It had been at the centre of violent protests against the fee hike.

The college was closed indefinitely after numerous clashes between police and students.

News24 reported that officials from the Malawi Law Society had urged the Chancellor College Students’ Union to submit the names of police officers who allegedly attacked female students during a recent protest.

According to Nyasa Times, the call followed a video posted online showing officers slapping and harassing unarmed women.

The protests caused national embarrassment as students blocked the convoy of visiting US “second lady” Jill Biden, who was in the country to support various humanitarian efforts.

University of Malawi spokesperson, Peter Mitunda, had ruled out the possibility of the fee hike being reversed, as the institution could only provide quality education if it had enough money. — AFP