MULTAN: Female hostels at the Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) have run short of space. Of the students newly admitted to the BZU masters of arts and masters of sciences programmes, about 250 have been provided accommodation in tents, mess halls and study rooms.
The university currently has three hostel buildings – Ayesha Hall, Maryum Hall and Fatima Hall – with space for 250 students each. These halls are all full to capacity. The halls are meant to accommodate two students in a room; nowadays up to six are sharing a single room.
Tents have been set up in the corridors of Maryum Hall. About 150 students have been accommodated in these tents. The remaining students have been provided space at the mess and study halls.
Talking to The Express Tribune, students complained that there were no facilities in the tents. They said that the weather during the afternoon was considerably hot but the pedestal fans provided to them did not function. They said that though they were being provided with food, lighting and mattresses, there was no privacy. “We don’t know how long we will have to stay here in tents. It’s alright if it is for a day or two but what if the construction of the new hostels does not get completed in time?” a student said on the condition of anonymity.
She said that they were not informed about the shortage of space and that they would have to live in tents prior to their arrival on campus.
A few second-year students, members of the Peoples Student Federation (PSF), told The Express Tribune that they would take up the issue with the administration.
Dr Nusrat Parveen, the women’s hostels warden, was contacted but refused to comment.
Dr Altaf, the BZU director for planning, told The Express Tribune that two new buildings – Khadija Hall and Zainab Hall – were under construction. The students, he said, would be shifted to the new buildings as soon as the construction is complete. Altaf said the structure was expected to be ready by October 25. He said that the university has not yet charged these students hostel fees.
Though several private hostel facilities have mushroomed during the last few years at Bosan Road and Gulghast Colony, the students said that they don’t have permission from their families to live outside the university premises. They added that the private accommodation was expensive compared to that provided by the university.
They said that on average a single room at one of these private hostels costs up to Rs3,000 per month. The university, on the other hand, charges Rs11,000 per year for accommodation and dining facilities. Most out-of-town students admitted to the masters’ programme are from Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan – all district hit hard by the floods.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2010.
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