We often speak proudly about “investment in education”, and not without reason. Over the past few decades, the country has made significant strides in expanding educational opportunities.
Enrolment rates at the primary level have risen considerably, surpassing those of many of our regional and global peers, while students and scholars from Bangladeshi institutions continue to earn recognition at home and abroad.
These achievements reflect the nation's commitment to building a more educated and skilled society. Regrettably, however, the real picture is not entirely rosy.
For many students coming from distant towns and villages, a hostel is not a choice, it is a compulsion. Their families can not afford a rented premises in the city; commuting daily is impossible.
As a result, they depend on hostels to continue their education. Yet, instead of providing comfort and support, many hostels become a source of stress and hardship.
We claim to be building a “knowledge-based society,” but we are housing its future in places unfit for dignified living.
Walk into a typical hostel and you see the same picture repeated. Six to eight students squeezed into a room of four. Small beds, thin mattresses, no proper storage.
Toilets that are rarely cleaned, sometimes pipes are leaking. In summer, the rooms turn into furnaces. Privacy is a far cry. In such an environment, concentration is just not difficult, it is nearly impossible.
A student from Noakhali staying in a university hostel there, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the situation bluntly, “Accommodating seven or eight people in a room meant for four feels suffocating. The beds and rooms are not big enough, no fans are provided and during summer it becomes unbearable to stay due to the excessive heat.”
Food quality is another major concern. For many hostel residents, meals are not merely a convenience, they are a necessity. Meals are supposed to give students strength and sustenance.
Complaints about poor hygiene and inadequate nutrition are widespread. Students often find themselves consuming food that is neither healthy nor appealing, for example instant noodles or cheap street foods.
A student of a public university in Dhaka, speaking anonymously, shared his experience, “I have seen many students getting frustrated over rooms and facilities but as my hall is new I feel the condition of my hostel is better than many. But the only thing which frustrates me is the food. The food is very unhygienic and often not fit to eat. Complaints have been made repeatedly, but there has been no response.”
While education institutions focus heavily on academic excellence, the physical well-being of students is frequently overlooked.
However, it is difficult to expect students to perform at their best when their basic nutritional needs are not being met.
The lack of basic facilities further compounds students’ difficulties. In many older halls, essential amenities remain inadequate despite the construction of newer hostels.
A student from Dinajpur living in a hostel of a university there, who requested anonymity, remarked, “Although some new halls are being built, the students living in the older halls are the ones suffering. Recently, after the earthquake, major cracks in some of the walls became more visible, making many students worried about their safety.”
Beyond physical infrastructure, the emotional impact also deserves attention. Many students leave their families for the first time and have to adapt to a new city, new people and new academic pressures. A welcoming hostel can ease this transition and help students flourish.
Last year, Prothom Alo published a report titled "Student hostel ceiling crumbles, rain seeps through" highlighting the alarming condition of the Polin Hostel, a female residence hall at Rajshahi Medical College.
The report revealed that although the building had been declared risky, around 150 students were still living there.
Ceiling plaster frequently crumbled and fell, rainwater seeped through the roof and damaged furniture, and students lived under the constant fear of accidents.
Some residents reported finding chunks of concrete on their beds after pieces of the ceiling had fallen. The report also noted concerns about unsafe electrical lines and deteriorating facilities in other female hostels on the campus.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this issue is that many students feel trapped. They are aware of the shortcomings, yet they have no practical alternatives.
What makes the situation even more unfortunate is that accommodation can be one of the strongest tools for improving educational experiences.
Around the world, many educational institutions view student housing as an essential part of learning rather than an afterthought.
Comfortable accommodation motivates students to engage more actively in campus life, develop social connections and maintain a healthier balance between study and personal well-being.
Another often-overlooked problem is the shortage of hostel seats. Many schools, colleges and universities continue to admit large number of students despite having limited accommodation facilities.
So, students are forced to undertake the additional burden of searching for affordable housing in unfamiliar cities.
A student living in a mess with some of his friends said on condition of anonymity, “It was a problem to manage an accommodation in cheaper and shared flat. Most of the house owners don’t even want to give flats to the students. Maybe at the end of the second or third year we will be able to get a seat in the hostel when seniors complete their graduation.”
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in expanding access to education. New universities are being established, enrolment rates are increasing and academic opportunities continue to grow.
However, educational development should not be measured solely by the number of institutions or graduates. The quality of student life matters too.
Our country loves to celebrate when students win scholarships abroad or top international exams.
But perhaps it is time to ask a harder question: why do so many of our brightest young people dream of leaving? One honest answer is: they are tired of being told to “adjust” to conditions that no one in power would accept for their own children.
A hostel should not feel like punishment for the crime of wanting an education. It should feel, at minimum, like a safe, clean and respectful temporary home.
Before we ask students to build the nation, perhaps we should ensure the nation provides them with a decent place to build themselves.