Accommodation crisis grips JU dormitories

Most of the freshers are now staying outside the campus and many students, who were enrolled under 2004-2005 academic sessions, have not got their allotted seats yet and still staying on the floors of the TV rooms, guest rooms, common rooms, reading rooms and prayer halls or sharing beds with senior students in the hall rooms of different dormitories.

The overstaying of 29th (1999-2000 academic sessions) and 30th (2000-2001 academic sessions) batches due to session jams ranging from two to three years created this crisis.

Teachers' politics, political instability, intra-party conflict among student wings of different political parties, class boycott by students and work abstention by teachers caused the session jams.

Failure of the hall authorities to distribute seats among the students due to interference by ruling party's student organisation Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) added to the sufferings of the freshers.

The freshers have to attend political programmes to get a seat at the dormitory. About 10-15 rooms in each dormitory remain occupied by JCD leaders, with no effective measures from the university authorities to prevent the occupation to ease the crisis.

"Lack of planning to resolve the crisis, unplanned enrolment of students, and failure of university authorities to fairly distribute the seats worsened the accommodation crisis," said a provost on condition of anonymity.

The crisis at female dormitories might have been lessened, had the construction work of Khaleda Zia hall had been completed in time. A portion of the dormitory was constructed last year to reduce the accommodation crisis.

Due to lack of regular monitoring, construction work of the hall is yet to be completed though it was scheduled to be completed one year and six months ago.

About 820 freshers have been allotted seats in the six male dormitories without considering the accommodation situation properly. A few students could manage seats in common rooms, Chhatra Sangshad, reading rooms and guest rooms of the dormitories while others were asked to attend classes from outside.

About eight to 12 students stay in four-seated rooms of the halls by sharing beds and floors. Students are suffering much as study in such a mass room is almost impossible.

Some of the female students, who are allotted seats in Pritilota, Fazilatun Nesa (FN), Jahanara Imam (JI), Faizunnesa and Khaleda Zia halls, are staying in common rooms, prayer rooms, TV rooms and reading rooms while others live in newly constructed teachers' quarters in front of JI hall.

"More than 20 students are living in a room here in absence of any kind of academic facilities," said Mohua, a resident student of Khaleda Zia hall.

"We feel insecure here as no fence is made around it and it is open to all sides. The authorities must take immediate steps to ensure our security," said Laboni, who live on the ground floor of the teachers' quarters in front of JI hall.

"We have to frequent the neighbouring dormitory for having meals and watching television while about 30 students are living inhumanly on the floor," she added.

The university authorities have arranged bus services for the newcomers living outside the campus. The arrangement, however, is not sufficient.

Despite several attempts, Vice Chancellor Prof Khandaker Mustahidur Rahman was not available for his comment.