Malawi Police fire teargas to disperse NRC students
Police brutality reared its ugly head again when cops heavy-handedness against Natural Resources College (NRC) students who were protesting against fees hike.
The students were angered by the move to raise their fees from K134, 000 to K279, 000 per semester considering the high cost of living in the wake of the recent 49 per cent devaluation of the Malawi Kwacha.
But as the students were protesting carrying tree branches, Police fired several rounds of teargas to disperse the students and some were beaten .
“We were beaten and dispersed by teargas,” said NRC Students Union President, Precious Phiri.
Police said the students were violent as they burnt tyres, and vandalised some school property .
The student’s leader said the institution increased the fees without consulting the students, saying they learnt in the press.
However, Principal of the College Mrs. Jean Mthethiwa justified the raising of the fees, saying the institution does not receive subvention from government.
“We don’t get subvention from government therefore we need to generate resources to manage ourselves,” said the Principal.
Since the government of President Joyce Banda devalued the Kwacha, there has been several strikes in public institutions, with workers demanding huge salary increases to compensate for the loss of value of the kwacha.
