Even as candidates for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union gear up for the “debate” that tests the oratory skills of their future union president on Wednesday evening, one issue that is sure to figure in everyone’s speech is the lack of hostels. This issue has been used as an agenda by every students’ association and independent candidate that is contesting elections this year.
“More than 77 per cent of first year students do not have hostel facilities. This year, only 300 students were able to get a hostel room. The remaining had to make do with costly accommodation around campus. Transport facilities within and outside the campus are bad, which add to the inconvenience faced by a student travelling to the university every day. All these issues and more have resulted in an increase in the drop-out rates, mostly in the case of women,” said Students’ Federation of India (SFI) presidential candidate P. Ambedkar.
The university has a unique admission process that calculates merit based on certain geographical as well as social and economic parameters, like the literacy rate of the district, agricultural productivity and other similar factors as well as academic merit. The result is that the students here are from all parts of the country. The metro station closest to the University is nowhere near walking distance and, more often than not, most students need hostel facilities.
“The University gets awards and is often talked about as being a world-class university, but the ground reality is different. We have a huge problem when it comes to hostels and it is nowhere near what a hostel in a world-class university is supposed to be like,” said Lenin Kumar of the Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF).
His association has this year partnered with the All India Students’ Federation to fight elections under the banner of the Left Progressive Front, which has also made the hostel issue its prime agenda.
“The hostel issue has figured in the election agenda since the past six years or so. It is the hypocrisy of the Left that they do not want hostels… they want to make it an agenda during elections every year. We will, however, be fighting for better facilities,” said Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad’s Sandip Singh.
The All India Students’ Association (AISA), which has mostly been controlling the union for the past couple of years, said they had consistently fought for extra hostel facilities.
“We have been agitating throughout the year and even during vacations, and one hostel has been sanctioned. The other students’ associations have not even participated in any of our protests,” said AISA’s Sucheta De.
JNU Vice-Chancellor S.K. Sopory said: “We never have enough funds with a University like ours, where the fees is so low. We manage from the funds we get from the UGC as well as the small amounts we make from the stationary shops and canteens. However, one hostel will soon be built and we are considering a reservation system for Northeast students.”
