The housing crisis for students at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet has taken a severe turn. Accommodation is available for only 33 per cent of students. The remaining 67 per cent live in messes or rented houses.
This not only adds to their expenses but also wastes valuable time and disrupts their studies. Besides, the opening of new departments without proper planning and admission of more students have made the crisis even worse.
Several teachers, students, and hall provosts of the university have said this.
Students are facing various problems every day due to the housing crisis. Mohammad Jabir, a student of the 2021–22 academic session in the Social Work department, who did not get a seat in a hall, said he is living in great hardship.
He mentioned that in a mess, including rent and internet bills, an additional Tk 3,000 to 3,500 is spent per month. Food expenses come to about Tk 4,000. Transportation adds another Tk 1,000 to 1,500. Altogether, expenses amount to Tk 8,000 to 9,000 per month. But if he had a hall seat, everything would be covered within Tk 4,000 to 4,500.
Jewel Rana, a student of the 2023–24 academic session in the Software Engineering department, also failed to get a seat despite applying.
Comparing hall and mess, he said, in a mess there is financial and mental pressure, and also no security. Healthy food and clean water are not available. On top of that, commuting to campus takes more time. Those who live far away spend the entire day on campus, leaving no scope for extra activities.
SUST Pro Vice-Chancellor Md Shajedul Karim said that initiatives have been taken to solve the housing crisis.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said it is unfortunate that even after three decades the crisis has not been solved. Those in the administration in the past may not have been able to do it.
To solve this problem, two dormitory buildings with a total of 2,000 seats are under construction under a project. Another project is awaiting approval. If implemented, about 90 per cent of students will be able to live in halls, he added.
According to the university’s academic office, teaching began at SUST in 1991 with three departments, 13 teachers, and 205 students. Currently, 8,903 students are studying in 28 departments, of which 5,727 are male and 3,176 are female.
The university has six halls with a total of 2,977 seats. Among male students, only 24 per cent live in residential halls, while 49 per cent of female students have this scope. This means 74 per cent of male students and 51 per cent of female students are living outside. Of the six halls, three are for males and three for females.
Shafiqul Rahman, professor of the Social Work department and a former SUST student, said, “There has been little focus on expanding residential halls over the past 35 years. That is why students face new problems due to the housing crisis."
“Student facilities should have been prioritised first. The dormitories under construction now should have been built two decades ago. Past administrations failed to achieve this,” he added.
Meanwhile, the SUST Central Students’ Union (SUCSU) election will be held in the second week of November. Candidates from different panels are pledging to resolve the housing crisis before the election.
The last SUCSU election was held in 1997. Since 1993, elections were held only three times, and SUCSU has remained inactive for the past 28 years.
Students increase, halls do not
University sources said the student population was 2,750 in 2000. It increased to 6,872 in 2007. Currently, there are 570 teachers. Every year the number of students has grown, but accommodation facilities have not been expanded.
From the initial three departments, the academic programme has spread to 28 departments. However, accommodation facilities have not been ensured accordingly.
According to sources at several residential halls, there are a total of 2,977 seats in six halls.
For male students: Shah Paran Hall has 447, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall has 528, and Syed Mujtaba Ali Hall has 440 seats.
For female students: First Girls’ Hall has 537, Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall has 548, and Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall has 480 seats.
In 1991, the university started with three departments and 205 students. The next year, about 100 students were accommodated in two blocks of Shah Paran Hall.
In 1994, the first girls’ hall was established. Even though new departments were opened afterward, seats were not increased.
In 2005, the second male dormitory was established, followed in 2011 by Syed Mujtaba Ali Hall for males and Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall for females.
In 2023, Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall started accommodating female students.
Proposal to open 13 new departments
The Academic Council of SUST has taken a decision in principle to open 13 new departments. The university authorities recently sent a letter to the University Grants Commission (UGC) in this regard.
The proposed departments are: Law, Biomedical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Mechatronics Engineering, Microbiology, Pharmacy, Al-Quran–Dawah–Islamic Studies, Soil Science, Botany, Zoology, and Public Health.
Currently, each department has 250–450 students. If the 13 new departments are opened, at least 4,000 more students will be added. However, there is no adequate housing arrangement for them.
Professor Khalidur Rahman of the Statistics Department told Prothom Alo, “When vice-chancellors come, they open many departments and appoint teachers to serve their personal or political interests—that is not just hearsay but a reality. But no one has thought about the students. Students come here from different parts of the country. So, their first need is secure accommodation.”
However, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Md Md Shajedul Karim said that if UGC approves the new departments, they will only be launched after all preparations, including accommodation facilities, are completed.
The hardship of ‘transit rooms’
It has been learned after talking to several female students living in halls that they are first placed in ‘common rooms’ due to the seat crisis. The hall authorities call these 'transit rooms’.
Essentially, dining rooms, TV rooms, canteens, and large rooms are used as transit rooms. Students usually get a proper seat within one to one and a half years after living in a transit room.
Female students complained that in transit rooms they face daily problems such as lack of space, noise, an unfavourable study environment, insect infestations, and slow internet.
It has been learned that around 45 students are staying in transit rooms at Begum Sirajunnesa Hall, and about 50 students at Begum Fazilatunnesa Hall.
A student, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “In transit rooms, using washrooms and cooking is especially troublesome. On top of that, there aren’t enough study tables, and sometimes two people have to share one bed.”
Sabiha Afrin, provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, said female students do face difficulties in the transit rooms, but given the shortage of seats, there is no alternative. However, as postgraduate students complete their exams, the girls are beginning to receive single rooms.
Extra expenses, pressure in messes
Prothom Alo spoke with five students living in messes. Among them, Hasan Al Bandhan, a student of the Sociology department, said, “Being bachelors, it is often very difficult to even get a rented house. And those who stay far away mess and commute to classes must leave early with extra time. This wastes time and negatively affects their studies.”
Two teachers, speaking on condition of anonymity, echoed the same sentiment.
They said many students cannot perform well academically because they don’t get accommodation facilities. So, instead of focusing on quantity, we must prioritise quality.
According to them, when opening new departments accommodation facilities must be ensured first. Otherwise, we will only grow in numbers but will not achieve anything effective.