Hostel facilities reduced by 75% for first-year students in city colleges

Of the two government colleges in the city that offer hostel facilities, one will not be offering the facility to first-year students this year while the other has

Of the two government colleges in the city that offer hostel facilities, one will not be offering the facility to first-year students this year while the other has reduced its strength by half, due to concerns over social distancing.

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As per the standard operating procedure for colleges and universities, physical distancing needs to be maintained at all times in hostels. Besides maintaining an adequate distance among the beds in a room, colleges have also been instructed to erect temporary partitions to separate the residents.

At the Government Girls College in sector 14, the available seats have been reduced by half. Ramesh Garg, the principal of the college, said that the college will be starting the hostel facility from next month while adopting physical distancing norms.

“The government has allowed the operation of hostels with physical distancing protocols. Earlier, 800 students used to stay in the hostel. This year, to abide by the distancing concerns, we have decided that a room will be shared by only two students. With this parameter, around 450 students will be able to occupy the hostel facilities,” said Garg.

He said that forms for admissions have been shared with hostel applicants and the final list will be declared soon. “Admission to the hostel will be strictly done on merit basis. Students have already shared necessary information and we are aiming to make the hostels functional by December 1. The premises have been sanitized and sanitizers have been placed at various points,” said Garg.

Outstation students said that the chances of securing a hostel seat would be less due to the reduction. Moreover, the move would be a setback for girls, especially students from rural areas, who are already struggling with internet access for online classes.

“Due to Covid-19, all students will not be given a seat this year. Since the admission is merit based, we need to have a percentage (as per the cut-off) to get a seat,” said Komal, a first-year BSc student at Government Girls’ College, who has applied for a hostel seat.

She said that students coming from distant places might face difficulty in relocating to Gurugram if they are unable to secure a seat. “Parents are often reluctant to send girls to other cities for studies. With limited chances of securing a hostel seat, obstacles will arise when physical classroom sessions go back to the normal routine. Online classes are not working seamlessly for all,” said Komal, who goes by her first name.

Garg, however, said that since many students are in favour of online classes, the number of students seeking hostel admissions has also declined. “More than 50% of the students prefer online classes due to which the number of hostel applicants has reduced,” said Garg.

Pooja Khullar, principal of Dronacharya Government College, said that the college will not be inviting new admissions to the hostel. “Our hostel is not in a working condition and needs to be demolished. We are not admitting first-year students to the hostel for now and will be adjusting the second and third-year students once arrangements are made,” said Khullar.

She said that the college will take further steps based on the feedback it receives from the department.