Life of Hall Students at RU

Toufik Ahmed

University is the highest place of learning and gathering of knowledge. The most meritorious students study at universities and they are the future of a nation. So, the universities of a country should have the best facilities. But in Bangladesh, there is no effective plan to ensure good facilities for students at universities, especially in their accommodation system. Rather, they lead a very miserable life in the university dormitories or halls. Among those, Rajshahi University (RU) is one of them.

Rajshahi University is one of the oldest and second largest universities of Bangladesh, and it is often called the ‘Cambridge of the East’. There are only 5,000 ‘seats’ in 17 halls of residence for 35,000 students. Though it is quite challenging to get a place, the students residing in the halls are deprived of adequate facilities, and they have to pass their days in misery.

Expressing his disappointment, Belayet Hossain, a student of Law department, said: “Before getting admitted to this university, I thought it would be the best place for learning; but I was shocked seeing the sufferings of hall students. It is very shameful for us.”

The biggest problem for the hall students is food. In the canteens and dining halls, there is enough food, but there is no quality or taste. It is a matter of sorrow that sometimes stale food is served in the halls. The students often fall sick and face stomach problems from eating such unhygienic and substandard food.

Abdullah Al Mamun, who resides at Syed Ameer Ali Hall, shared: “Stale foods, dust and insects are often found in the dining rooms, which pose serious health risks. But the authorities concerned do not pay any heed to the problem.”

For this reason, the students prefer to cook their own meals, rather than eating in the canteens or dining halls. However, that is very costly for a poor student, and it also takes up time, which could be spent on studying. Some students complained that they wasted a lot of valuable time cooking, instead of studying for which they were there.

It is also a fact that the quality of water in the halls is the worst. The supply water is not drinkable as it contains impurities. The water of Rajshahi contains arsenic. The number of ‘green’ arsenic-free tubewells is very few. So, students have to drink arsenic contaminated water. For many, hair fall is a great problem due to that water.

Slow Wi-Fi connection is also a major problem for the hall students. They cannot access the internet properly for research purpose, study materials, and information. That’s why they are lagging behind others.

Furthermore, there is a scarcity of books in the hall libraries and most of the books there are outdated. Shortage of space and chairs in the reading rooms and infestation of bugs make the life of students more miserable.

“Most of the facilities, including reading room, guest reception room, internet room, gym and games room of the halls are in poor condition, as the authorities have not taken care of the facilities for a long time,” said Mafiaul Islam, a student of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall.

Problems in university halls are common phenomena in Bangladesh. At present, almost all public universities, like Dhaka University, Chittagong University and Jagannath University, face accommodation problems. As studying for higher education has become a great challenge in Bangladesh, students have to struggle until their graduation is completed.

Students are the future leaders of the nation. We know that a happy student is an image of a positive future. If we want to get greater benefit from our universities, then we must ensure the necessary facilities and opportunities for the students who reside in halls. So we urge the authorities to take effective steps to solve the sufferings of university hall students in Bangladesh.

The writer is a student of Department of International Relations, University of Rajshahi.

Photos: Writer.

Life of Hall Students at RU

Toufik Ahmed University is the highest place of learning and gathering of knowledge. The most meritorious students study at universities and they are the future of a nation. So, the universities of a country should have the best facilities. But in Bangladesh, there is no effective plan to ensure good facilities for students at universities, especially in their accommodation system. Rather, they lead a very miserable life in the university dormitories or halls. Among those, Rajshahi University (RU) is one of them. Rajshahi University is one of the oldest and second largest universities of Bangladesh, and it is often called the Cambridge of the East. There are only 5,000 seats in 17 halls of residence for 35,000 students. Though it is quite challenging to get a place, the students residing in the halls are deprived of adequate facilities, and they have to pass their days in misery. Expressing his disappointment, Belayet Hossain, a student of Law department, said: Before getting admitted to this university, I thought it would be the best place for learning; but I was shocked seeing the sufferings of hall students. It is very shameful for us. The biggest problem for the hall students is food. In the canteens and dining halls, there is enough food, but there is no quality or taste. It is a matter of sorrow that sometimes stale food is served in the halls. The students often fall sick and face stomach problems from eating such unhygienic and substandard food. Abdullah Al Mamun, who resides at Syed Ameer Ali Hall, shared: Stale foods, dust and insects are often found in the dining rooms, which pose serious health risks. But the authorities concerned do not pay any heed to the problem. For this reason, the students prefer to cook their own meals, rather than eating in the canteens or dining halls. However, that is very costly for a poor student, and it also takes up time, which could be spent on studying. Some students complained that they wasted a lot of valuable time cooking, instead of studying for which they were there. It is also a fact that the quality of water in the halls is the worst. The supply water is not drinkable as it contains impurities. The water of Rajshahi contains arsenic. The number of green arsenic-free tubewells is very few. So, students have to drink arsenic contaminated water. For many, hair fall is a great problem due to that water. Slow Wi-Fi connection is also a major problem for the hall students. They cannot access the internet properly for research purpose, study materials, and information. Thats why they are lagging behind others. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of books in the hall libraries and most of the books there are outdated. Shortage of space and chairs in the reading rooms and infestation of bugs make the life of students more miserable. Most of the facilities, including reading room, guest reception room, internet room, gym and games room of the halls are in poor condition, as the authorities have not taken care of the facilities for a long time, said Mafiaul Islam, a student of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall. Problems in university halls are common phenomena in Bangladesh. At present, almost all public universities, like Dhaka University, Chittagong University and Jagannath University, face accommodation problems. As studying for higher education has become a great challenge in Bangladesh, students have to struggle until their graduation is completed. Students are the future leaders of the nation. We know that a happy student is an image of a positive future. If we want to get greater benefit from our universities, then we must ensure the necessary facilities and opportunities for the students who reside in halls. So we urge the authorities to take effective steps to solve the sufferings of university hall students in Bangladesh. The writer is a student of Department of International Relations, University of Rajshahi. Photos: Writer.