Horrible hostel, hostile to study

SARDINED: Students share beds and study on those in a room at the lone girls' hostel of the Polytechnic Institute(left). A toilet in the same room without any roof or cover often makes it smelly(right).Photo: STAR

Rima wakes up at five in the morning to start her day standing in a queue with 60 other girls in front of the washroom. The room she resides in is crammed with rows of single beds, each for two girls.
After the bathroom mission she dresses up quickly and starts running for breakfast in the dining hall. But the dining hall is already crowded with other students who have classes in the morning.
She finds no seat and starts eating standing in a corner along with many girls because the class will start if she waits for a seat.
When her classes are over at 1:20pm she requests one of her classmates to let her get into the bathroom after she finishes her bathing. Another girl requests her to let her in after her.
“This is how our lives go on every day,” said Monoroma Sultana Rima, a first-year student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, where crisis of seat is acute for first and second year students in its lone girls' hostel.
“From 2000, the number of girl students started to increase in the institute. Like all other sectors girls have started taking interest in technical studies because here you have greater job prospect. Studying in technical line helps a girl become self-reliant more than studying in general line,” she said.
One of the big problems for the freshers is the crisis of bathroom.
“There is only one bathroom, one toilet and one basin for 65 girls. Besides, the toilet is inside the room and without any roof. It is very unhygienic,” said a girl studying in the first year.
“Just a few days ago we used to lie on the floor. It was very difficult to keep it clean especially for those lying near the bathroom. But recently the authorities have arranged beds for us,” said another fresher.
Another big problem is there are very few reading and measurement tables.
“There is no table in the room so we have to study sitting on the bed. Our studies include drawings that need fine measurements. But for lack of tables we have to do it on the bed and for that many times we miss accurate measurements. Even we have to keep our books and meals on the floor,” said Sharmeen, a student of first year.
Chilling wind creeps into the room in the winter through the gaps of missing windowpanes and in the rainy season the beds get wet in the rains. The room has a tin-roof perforated at many places that makes way for rainwater.
“Because we have only one bathroom we start taking serials just after the classes are over and on our way to the hostel. Sometimes we miss classes for the long queue in front of the toilet,” said one student.
The kitchen staffs of the hostel also live in the same room with the students.
“We cannot study after hours because the staffs complain that they have difficulties sleeping if lights are on. Some of the girls go to the dining hall which has been turned into TV room. Many like to watch TV in those hours so it is difficult to study there,” said Sharmeen.
When asked about the situation the principal of the institute asked this correspondent to contact hostel super Kashem Majumdar.
Majumdar said he had informed the authorities of the problem many times.
“I have informed the institute authorities who in turn have informed the education ministry as far as I know. I heard that all are very sympathetic to the problem but I don't know why it takes so much time to solve it,” he said.
At present more than 350 girls are living in the hostel. Many girls come to study here from faraway places. So they are left with no other options other than staying in the hostel, he said.
“The building can be extended by making it a four-storey one. It can also be extended on the eastern side. At present we are planning to construct a tin-shed structure to accommodate more girls,” said Majumdar.