Sentiment Analysis in Social Media: A Case Study of Hike in University School Fees in Selected Nigerian Universities

Abstract

Faced with escalating operational costs and government disinvestment, Nigerian public universities are implementing tuition fee increases to maintain institutional functionality. This necessary fiscal measure comes in the wake of 2022 industrial action, which exacerbated pre-existing financial strain through extended work stoppages and potentially higher costs associated with resuming activities, while leaving unaddressed the longstanding demands of academics for improved welfare and working conditions. The court-mandated resumption of academic activities without resolution of these core issues further strained university finances, leading to a significant increase in tuition fees. Using VADER, this study investigated social media sentiments related to the increase in university school fees at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and the University of Maiduguri. The results revealed that students' sentiments regarding the rise in tuition fees at the two universities were largely neutral, with 4.6% positive sentiment, 7.9% negative sentiment, and 87.5% neutral sentiment identified for Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. In contrast, the University of Maiduguri had 0% positive sentiment, 19.8% negative sentiment, and 80.2% neutral sentiment. The study recommends seeking feedback through surveys or student leaders and offering scholarships to indigent students to address fee hike concerns at the two universities. While VADER is designed to handle social media textual data, few misclassifications of sentiments were noted and discussed.