Lodging problem fading dreams of job-seeking women in Dhaka

Farzana Islam passed with flying colours from the country’s highest academic seat a few years ago. 

She completed her graduation and postgraduation in Mathematics from the University of Dhaka, and was a residential student staying at Ruqayyah Hall at the time.

After submitting her master's thesis, she vacated her hall seat and left Dhaka as she thought living in sublet arrangement in the capital was not secured enough for her. 

Farzana, who hails from Chandpur, went back home and let her dream of pursuing a career fade away. 

Several months later she got married and ended up being a homemaker. 

Farzana's story reflects accounts of hundreds of other ex-female students like her, who simply couldn't pursue job preparations and interviews just because of lodging problem in Dhaka, the city of opportunity. 

There are some facilities - though utterly inadequate for working women to reside - but nothing for the young women, who complete their education and seek jobs. 

Farzana, who stood first in her master's and sixth in honours in Mathematics from DU, repents, "I could not get myself prepared for the highly competitive job market for lack of proper support. I faced some interviews with only two or three days of preparation and unsurprisingly I failed." 

She thinks if she could manage a good accommodation in Dhaka after coming out of Ruqayyah Hall probably today she would be holding a service.

Another job seeker Kamrunnahar Nazifa, who has recently completed her study from Dhaka University's Economics Department, vacated her seat in the varsity dormitory and is now lodged in a private female hostel. 

Nazifa said the environment of the varsity dormitory and that of the private hostel are completely different. She is not content with her present abode because of inadequate security and poor study environment. 

She said, "In sublet houses three or four persons have to share a small room with a family flat which is very insecure and we get very little room for our study. Government has no facility for unemployed women."She said living in costly city like Dhaka is a challenge for a job seeking woman.
There are only seven government-run hostels for working women in the country, of which three are in Dhaka. 

According to the information given in the website of the Department of Women Affairs, there are 886 seats for working women in Dhaka's government-run hostels but, no place for the unemployed ones. 

Job-seeking women, upon completion of their studies in Dhaka, have to depend on sublet houses, private hostels or go back to their districts. 

Jannatul Ferdous Nila, ex-student of Dhaka University, demanded government should address the accommodation problem of educated job-seeking women, who come from outside of the city but can't pursue their dream of preparing for a good career. 

Asked whether government has any plan about lodging of job-seeking women, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki told UNB that her ministry has residential dormitories for working women but still they do not have any plan for the ones who seek jobs.