Chittagong University: Housing crisis persists, dissatisfaction over food remains

Passing through a narrow alley and entering inside, one sees rows of tiny rooms. Garbage and waste are scattered in front. Some walls are damp, while dirty water has accumulated elsewhere. Two students are crammed into each room. Once a bed and a study table are placed inside, there is hardly any space left. There is only one toilet for use by 50 students. Bathing must be done in an open area.

This scene was observed at a privately owned cottage adjacent to Chittagong University. Just inside the university’s main gate on the right stands the male residential Shahjalal Hall. Directly opposite it is this cottage. Students who fail to secure accommodation in the halls are forced to rent such cottages.

One such student is Mamun Islam, a fourth-year student in the Economics Department. His father is a farmer. He is the youngest member of a five-person family. There is no opportunity for him to receive money from home to support his studies. He earns Tk 4,000 a month through private tutoring. From that amount, he has to cover transportation, food, and housing expenses.

Mamun Islam told Prothom Alo, “I live in a tiny room in a damp cottage near the campus. The rent is Tk 1,500. I somehow have to survive the whole month with the remaining money. If I had the chance to stay in a university hall, life would not be this difficult.”

Thousands of students at the university are facing the same situation. Due to the housing crisis, they could not secure seats in the halls. As a result, they are forced to stay outside campus in messes, apartments, or cottages at additional expense. The difference between a cottage and a mess or apartment is that cottages have no cooking facilities.

Toilets are also located outside. Students living in houses around campus have at times become involved in conflicts with local residents. Most recently, in August last year, clashes between students and locals left nearly 200 students injured. The violence erupted after a student was beaten by a guard over entering a house at night.

Chittagong University began its journey on 18 November, 1966, with only four departments and 200 students. At the time, there were just seven teachers. Currently, the university has 48 departments and six institutes. The number of students is 26,678, while there are 1,010 teachers. However, there are only 14 halls for students, with a total of 6,369 seats. Because two to three students crowd into each seat, around 9,000 students currently stay in the halls. The rest must live outside campus.

Not only housing, but students are also dissatisfied with food services. Hall students receive meals through two systems: dining halls and canteens. About two-thirds of students depend on hall food. The rest eat at nearby restaurants or cook for themselves. Female students are more likely to cook their own meals.

At present, a single meal in the halls costs between Tk 35 and Tk 45. Previously, it cost Tk 30 to Tk 40-- meaning prices have increased by Tk 5. For Tk 35, students can eat unlimited rice and thin lentil soup, along with one item chosen from chicken, fish, egg, or vegetables. For Tk 45, they again receive unlimited rice and lentils, but can choose any two items from chicken, fish, egg, or vegetables.

Residential student of AF Rahman Hall and second-year Communication and Journalism student Abdullah Bin Amin said that when students take chicken, fish, or egg curry, “it feels like those items are floating in yellow water.” Sometimes stale food is also served. The quantity of chicken or fish has not changed. As before, one chicken is cut into 15 pieces, each very small.

Students also have to stand in long queues for food. When dinner service begins at 7:30 pm, long lines can be seen in the dining halls. The crowd continues until 9 pm. Such scenes were recently observed at Suhrawardy Hall. Students said many who live in rented houses or cottages outside the halls come to eat there, which keeps the dining halls crowded all the time.

Second-year Economics student Tawseef Hossain said that because of financial hardship, he often has no choice but to eat at hall dining facilities or canteens instead of outside restaurants. Recently, while eating at AF Rahman Hall, he found insects in the curry and later became ill. Even so, he is still forced to eat there.

The main mode of transportation for students at the university is the shuttle train. Around 12,000 students commute daily by train. During a recent visit, it was seen that most train carriages had broken doors and windows. Each carriage carries nearly twice its intended capacity. Most of the time, the fans do not work either, increasing suffering in the intense heat.

Third-year International Relations student Tahia Tabassum said incidents of stone-throwing at the trains occur regularly. In the past two months alone, at least 10 students have suffered head injuries. Yet the administration has not taken effective measures. Mechanical faults also frequently disrupt train schedules. Altogether, students have to travel while constantly taking risks.

Director of the university’s Student Guidance Center and student adviser Md Anwar Hossain said ensuring safe housing for students is essential. He noted that the current administration has taken some initiatives to resolve the housing crisis. At the same time, coordination with the railway authorities is necessary to improve the shuttle train system.

Before the July mass uprising, the Chittagong University campus had effectively been under the control of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League for nearly a decade. The organisation itself was divided into two main blocs. One was known as followers of former city mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, while the other followed former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury.

Eleven subgroups operated under these two blocs. These factions faced allegations of clashes, extortion, and attacks. During the Awami League’s 15 years in power, at least 190 Chhatra League leaders and activists were expelled over such incidents.

After the mass uprising, the situation changed. At present, no single organisation controls the campus. There have also been no major clashes. However, tensions have arisen several times over rival programmes by Islami Chhatra Shibir and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

Beyond that, at least 13 allegations involving teacher harassment, fighting, vandalism, and violence have surfaced. Leaders and activists of both student groups were named in these incidents.

On 10 January this year, four leaders of the student union harassed a teacher who had come to supervise first-year undergraduate admission tests. The leaders physically assaulted the teacher and dragged him to the offices of the proctor and pro-vice chancellor, where he was confined for nine hours.

The teacher was Hasan Mohammad, assistant professor in the Law Department and former assistant proctor. On campus, he was associated with a faction of the pro-Awami League and left-leaning teachers’ political group known as the ‘Yellow Group.’

Former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Chittagong University and fourth-year Marketing student Sumaiya Shikdar said students had huge expectations after 5 August. However, those expectations have not been fulfilled because of the continued housing crisis, administrative opacity, politicisation, and lack of improvement in the academic environment. According to her, over the past 21 months the administration has prioritised partisan and personal interests over students’ welfare.

A somewhat different opinion was expressed by Khan Talat Mahmud, central senior joint general secretary of the Jatiya Chhatra Shakti and a third-year Theatre Arts student. In his view, students can now express their opinions and demands more freely. However, he warned that if violence increases in the future, this positive atmosphere may be destroyed.

After nearly 35 years, the university’s student union (CUCSU) election was held on 15 October last year. A panel backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir won 22 out of 25 posts. In its election manifesto, the panel had promised hall renovations, a 10 per cent increase in seats, modernisation of the shuttle train, and expansion of e-car and bus services. However, those promises have not yet been implemented.

CUCSU Vice President Md Ibrahim said work to expand housing facilities is ongoing and they hope to complete it within the next six months. Meetings have also been held with railway authorities to renovate the shuttle train system.

During the Awami League government, recruitment controversies were common because of allegations of politicisation and nepotism. Those controversies have not ended in the post-uprising period either. Former Vice Chancellor Muhammad Yahya Akhtar (20 September, 2024 – 16 March, 2026) appointed nearly 400 teachers, officers, and employees during his tenure. Various organisations have alleged irregularities in those recruitments.

University proctor Hossain Shahid Sarwarwardy said that for 23 years, political influence enabled irregularities such as extortion, tender manipulation, and monetary transactions in exchange for jobs on campus. Although conditions have changed somewhat since 5 August, old habits have not completely disappeared. In some cases, such practices have increased behind the scenes. He said the administration is making every effort to maintain normal security conditions on campus.

Vice Chancellor Mohammad Al-Forkan said that after 5 August, the students’ primary problem was the housing crisis. Such a large issue cannot be solved in a short time. However, steps have been taken to improve housing and infrastructure. A development project proposal (DPP) for new halls has already been submitted. A letter has also been sent to the ministry regarding renovation of the rail connection. Compared with before, incidents of clashes, suspension of classes and exams, and obstruction of development activities have decreased. He said the administration is working for the university’s overall improvement, and results will be visible soon.