Khulna Polytechnic has dorms, but students live off campus!
It is shocking that the four dormitories of Khulna Polytechnic Institute have been lying abandoned for 15 years even as students struggle to find affordable accommodation off campus, as revealed by a report of this daily. For women students especially, not being able to stay in dormitories poses security risks as they face harassment on their way to and from campus. It is baffling that when most public educational institutions face overcrowding in their dormitories, this polytechnic institute actually has four that are not occupied and that have been allowed to become dilapidated due to lack of maintenance.
The hostels were closed for security reasons in 2009 when students were protesting the cancellation of an exam and clashed with police. But why the authorities kept them padlocked, with the electricity disconnected, after classes resumed is certainly a mystery. Why did they not reopen them after proper maintenance? If it was a budgetary issue, why did they not send applications to the higher authorities to that effect? And why did the Education Engineering Department, responsible for monitoring such buildings, not do its job?
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This is a case of sheer, collective negligence for which all relevant departments must be held accountable. It is unacceptable that an institution as old as this and having such a huge campus would allow its dormitories to rot while the students face a housing crisis. The principal has said that a female dormitory with 500 seats and a 10-storey academic building will be built in place of the four dorms. How long will this take? Moreover, it still doesn't answer why the existing buildings have remained closed for so many years.
We have many government polytechnic institutions that are supposed to be geared towards equipping students with technical skills so that they can work and thrive in relevant fields. But there seems to be a general apathy towards this vital sector, and the state of Khulna dormitories is a case in point. We urge the education ministry to immediately enquire into this matter and take effective steps to ensure proper use of these buildings. The institute's administration also should make sincere efforts to provide students with seats in dormitories and ensure that those do not fall into the grips of political elements.
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