Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) administration has failed to provide basic facilities to 5,500 female students of the only public sector university for girls in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
While talking to agencies, students said that hostel arrangement was highly insufficient and this facility was only available to 500 or 600 students at a time. A good number of students came from remote areas and they had to face accommodation problems, but the university management had failed to provide them this facility due to a limited number of vacancies in the hostel, they added. Therefore, they had to bear the brunt of traveling back to their homes located in far-flung areas on a daily basis.
The students also showed annoyance over the minimal number of buses provided to them by the university management. The number of buses was drastically disproportionate to the number of students. “We have to travel in public transport by paying inflated fares due to limited transport facility in the university”, said a group of students.
Some students on the condition of anonymity told agencies that the university management not only charged a hefty fee but also received charges from them for using the internet and they had to pay Rs. 1000 per semester on this count.
Students further said that the arrangements of the university cafeteria were very flawed as sub-standard and unhygienic food was served there at a high price. Proper cleanliness arrangements were non-existent, they said. The students had to usually go outside the university to get clean food. The female students said that this was a clear case of mal-treatment.
The students also expressed their reservation on the examinations held on Sundays, terming it a failure on the part of the registrar. Students said they recorded their protest on many occasions inside and outside the university, but the university management would throw away their proposals in the dustbin after initially giving them assurances to bring about positive changes.
The registrar and the public relation officer of the university were contacted for details, but no stance was presented from their side regarding this issue.
