FeesMustFall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids #FeesMustFall |
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A group of students raise their hands in the air to signal that they have come in peace.
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| Date | 12 October 2015 – October 2016 |
| Location |
South Africa
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| Caused by | An increase in fees by South African universities |
| Methods | Protest |
| Resulted in |
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| Casualties | |
| Arrested | 619 |
The #FeesMustFall movement was a big student protest in South Africa. It started in October 2015. Students were upset about universities wanting to raise their fees. They also wanted the government to give more money to universities.
The protests began at the University of Witwatersrand. Soon, they spread to the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University. After that, students at many other universities across the country joined in. At first, many people supported the students. But as some protests became violent, public support started to decrease.
What Was #FeesMustFall?
The #FeesMustFall movement was a series of protests. Students wanted to stop universities from increasing the money they had to pay to study. This money is called tuition fees. They also wanted the government to provide more funding for universities. This would help make education more affordable for everyone.
The 2015 Protests
The first wave of protests happened in 2015. Students marched and demonstrated. They wanted their voices to be heard. The South African government listened to the students. They announced that there would be no tuition fee increases for 2016. This was a big win for the students.
The 2016 Protests
The protests started again in 2016. This happened when the Minister of Higher Education announced new fee increases. These increases were planned for 2017. The fees would go up by a maximum of 8%. However, each university could decide its own exact increase.
Students were not happy with this decision. They felt their demands had not been fully met. The protests continued. By October 2016, the protests had caused a lot of damage. The Department of Education estimated the damage to university property was about R600 million. This is a very large amount of money.
About the Film
The 2019 film Everything Must Fall tells the story of the 2016 FeesMustFall protests. It shows what happened during this important time.
Images for kids
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Students from the University of Cape Town marching to the local police station on Tuesday 20 October 2015 to demand the release of other students arrested the night before.
