Home ›› 23 Jan 2023 ›› Front
Tawhid Hasan Duha, a fourth-year student of the Mass Communication and Journalism Department at Dhaka University (DU), spends Tk 3,100 for food and dormitory costs every month.
A resident student of a DU hall, Duha told The Business Post that a student pays a minimum of Tk 100 for three meals a day and Tk 100 as a monthly hall fee. However, the monthly food cost will go up if the student eats outside.
Rayhan Ahmed, a first-year student of DU’s Political Science Department, shares a room with several others at a mess in the capital’s Chankharpool area.
Talking about his condition, he said, “Each of us pays Tk 3,000-4,000 as seat rent and spends Tk 4,500-5,000 for meal costs monthly.
“So on average, I spend Tk 7,000-10,000 monthly. But if I get a seat at my attached hall, then my parents will be able to spend half of its costs now.”
“Apart from these costs, we still have to face various problems at the rented houses. There is no good environment like the dormitory for us,” he added.
Like Rayhan, while pursuing higher studies, the sufferings and living costs of most of both male and female students — especially those from remote districts — of public and private universities significantly go up as many institutions have either inadequate or no residential facilities.
Due to the serious lack of residential facilities, the majority of the students at these institutions are compelled to reside in rented shared rooms or rented houses, which means the costs of helping hands for household chores get added to food costs and rent sometimes.
The rented houses also lack an education-friendly environment and the students face financial burdens to meet additional costs.
According to the latest University Grants Commission (UGC) report, there is no residential facility for 64 per cent of students at public universities and 96.51 per cent of students at private universities.
Investment should rise
Former DU vice-chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique told The Business Post, “The residential facility crisis at the universities is now a major problem. The government should increase investment in education to resolve this problem.”
He said that some universities may not ensure the facility for all right now but they can give it to the students from first to third years while final-year or masters students leave halls to live on their own. “Such practice can be seen at many universities in other countries.”
“I think the authorities should build the required numbers of new halls for the students by increasing investment for education,” he said.
“Every university should have the plan to admit students considering their accommodation capacity because only one-fourths of students can bear the costs of living in rented places,” the educationist added.
UGC report showed that there are a total of 44,41,717 students in 158 universities across the country. Of them, 41,31,610 students are in 50 public universities and 3,10,107 in 108 private universities.
Of the total, only 1,15,698 students or 2.60 per cent are now enjoying residential facilities and 97.40 per cent of students are forced to manage living facilities on their own due to the lack of seats at the dormitories.
Of the total, 1,04,852 students live in halls at public universities and 10,846 in dormitories of private universities.
Students, especially those from low-income families, get easily distracted from their studies while worrying about earning money to pay the additional cost of living outside the campus, where it is not affordable for all.
Talking to The Business Post, students of different public universities said sometimes they find it difficult to continue their education as their expenses including house rents and educational materials have increased manifold in recent years.
Data dive
Out of 158 public and private universities around the country, only Bangladesh Agricultural University and Patuakhali Science and Technology University have residential facilities for all of their students.
The only institute close to them is Jahangirnagar University, where 14,105 out of 15,088 students are getting residential facilities in 16 halls.
The scenario is almost similar at most public universities while residential facilities are very poor at the private universities, showed the data from the latest UGC report.
Of the 108 private universities, only 35 have 98 halls and hostels for their students around the country.
DU currently has 37,428 students and the capacity to provide residential facilities to only 16,719 (45 per cent) at 23 of its dormitories.
The number of students at Rajshahi University is 26,370 but only 9,673 (37 per cent) are enjoying residential facilities at 36 halls.
At Chittagong University, only 5,287 (20 per cent) students out of a total of 26,955 are getting the facilities at its 15 dormitories.
Jagannath University, which became a university in 2005, has 15,960 students. But the public institute only has a 1,000-seat hall for female students and no dormitories for its male students.
Islamic University in Kushtia has a total of 15,893 students. Of them, only 3,893 students are living in eight halls.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology has 6,959 students but only 2,840 of them are enjoying residential facilities in nine halls.
There are 10,011 students at Shahjalal Science and Technology University and only 2,191 of them are living in five halls.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University students 3,010 students and only 241 (8 per cent) are getting residential facilities at its two halls.
Out of a total of 6,384 students at Cumilla University, only 597 are getting residential facilities at its four halls.
Only 428 (7 per cent) out of 6,005 students at Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Mymensingh are enjoying the residential facility.
A total of 5,511 students are studying at Khulna University and 2,272 of them enjoy the residential facilities in five halls.
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University in Tangail has 5,347 students but only 1,518 of them live in its five halls. Only 888 students out of a total of 7,795 students at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur are living in its three halls.
