At least 12,000 undergrads still without hostel facilities

At least 12,000 more undergraduates require hostel facilities, as issues over accommodation within universities continues.

The Sabaragamuwa and Peradeniya Universities have the most number of students eligible for hostel facilities, but are yet to receive them, with 1,953 and 1,875 students respectively, needing hostel facilities.

According to the Higher Education Ministry, of a student population of 77,120, 38,969 are eligible for hostel facilities, but only 26,821 have been provided the facility, with 12,148 students still waiting..

The hostel issue has been aggravated after the authorities accommodated an additional batch in view of the Z-score fiasco

he Higher Educat i o n Ministry allocates about Rs 1.2 billion as rental for buildings hired as hostels.

“We hope to build 60 more hostels within the next two years, 28 for males and 32 for females, with each accommodating at least 200 students,” Higher Education Ministry Secretary, Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawarathna told Education Times.

He said that, even though the ministry has decided to address the cleanliness and maintenance of the existing hostels, it is hard, as they will have to remove the students from these hostels till the process is over.

Meanwhile, students who do not get hostel facilities undergo hardship trying to find accommodation.

Overcrowded rooms, poor sanitation facilities, poor ventilation and high prices for accommodation, are among common problems faced by the students.

Hostel fee is Rs 750 annually, while boarding houses charge from Rs 1,700-3,000 per month.

- Aanya Wipulasena