Shortage of adequate and affordable hostels worries students

ISLAMABAD, Mar 8 (APP):Shortage of adequate and affordable hostels in twin cities is worrying students coming from the far flung areas of the country. Moreover, these facilities are marred with lack of security, quality food and sufficient water supply.

Sarfraz came all the way from Rajanpur to Islamabad after he secured admission in a reputed public sector university here. He told APP that there was no hostel within the university premises. “I had to look for private accommodation nearby which was a Herculean task for me as I had come to the city for the first time and had no connections here to guide me. So much so even the university did not offer any guidance into finding a suitable accommodation.”

Another student shared his experience that a few public universities with their own hostels offered rooms on the basis of political affiliations. He was referring to the student chapters of various political parties in these institutes.

However, an official of the university denied this saying that it was not possible to accommodate every student in university hostel, and rooms were given on a first come first serve basis or to the most deserving.

Girls coming from remote areas to Islamabad and Rawalpindi in hope for better education faced numerous challenges even after finding a place to stay. One major issue which almost every hostel girl raised was the lack of proper security.

Mehwish who came from Kharian said that there was no check on who was coming in and going out of hostel. She further said, “The facility is substandard, and we are not provided the service that was promised and marketed by the hostel manager.” A few girls reluctantly spoke of being harassed by the hostel staff as well as individuals in the nearby markets.

Saad who had come from Faisalabad tried three different options during his two-year degree program. First, he was in university hostel, but was fed up of strikes, and fights between different student groups. Then, he went to a private hostel, which too he had to leave soon after witnessing the drug culture there.

His third accommodation was a flat which he rented together with some of his friends. “Here, I did experience water shortages at times, but apart from this it was a much better and safer place than the two before this”, he recalled.

Some universities are planning to build more hostels to facilitate the growing number of students after repeated demands from students. Meanwhile, private hostels continue to exploit students left at their mercy due to the shortages or lack of hostels within the university or college campus. Private hostels, on average, are charging Rs 20,000 per person for lodging only, and most hostels have about five persons in one room making it overcrowded.