City to get more hostels for female students

“Each proposed hostel is expected to have a capacity of at least 100 female students. The scheme has received formal approval from the State Cabinet recently,and would have adequate budgetary provision soon,” State director of education (higher) P R Gaikwad told Newsline on Monday.

He said the possible sites for building hostel in Pune city were being explored. “We are exploring the possibility of Deccan College as one of the local sites for constructing hostel for female students. No final decision has been taken,” he said.

Besides Pune,Mumbai,Jalgaon,Nanded,Solapur,Panvel,Gadchiroli and Jalna are the cities that will have hostel facility for the female students in the near future.

“Lack of proper accommodation facilities often prove to be a major hurdle for female students willing to stay outstation for pursuing higher education. This invariably results in the high drop out rate of female students. Providing accommodation to these category of students will address the issue effectively,” Gaikwad said.

As per official records,Maharashtra has total 27 hostels for female students,catering to the accommodation need of around 2,150 students.

Reaction on the development,women rights activist Kiran Moghe said the proposed hostels for female students should be raised at centrally-located places in respective cities,and should have all amenities. “Setting up hostels for female students in fringe areas of the city would defeat the whole purpose of the scheme. These hostels should be centrally-located to ensure safety and convenience of female students. Also,government should not compromise on providing adequate facilities in these hostels to encourage its use,” she said.