RBU to come up with its own hostel facilities

Kolkata: In a significant stride towards increasing the intake of foreign students, the Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) has decided to set up its own hostel facilities with an attached kitchen in close proximity to its campus. As per plans, the varsity will set up its girl's hostel on a land adjacent to Sinthi police station, which is located near the BT Road campus. The boy's hostel will come up on its proposed third campus at Rajarhat.

It may be mentioned that RBU has the highest number of foreign students in eastern India pursuing various courses with the present strength being 182. The foreign students have to stay as paying guests in different parts of the city. "We are concerned about their safety and security but as we have no hostel facilities we have no choice once they go out of our campus after studies. We have procured a land of 8 acres from New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) at Rajarhat where we will be setting up our third campus. It will have hostel facilities for boys. We have already arranged for a land beside Sinthi police station and the girl's hostel will be set up there," a senior RBU official said. Vice-chancellor of the university Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury said the university needs to increase its intake of foreign students for standing on its own feet and reducing the dependence on government funds.

It may be mentioned that a section of foreign students who come from places like China, Japan, Europe, America etc get scholarship from Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). "The foreign students face a lot of problem with food as the places where they stay as paying guests serve normal Bengali food on a regular basis that do not satiate their taste buds. They can cook food of their choice at the hostel with new kitchen facilities," the vice-chancellor said.

The foreign students particularly the girls dress up in a different manner than their counterparts in the city or the country. "They face a major problem in this respect too as they have to live as paying guests in messes where they have to stick to the conventional Bengali attire," a senior RBU official said.

The university is hopeful of putting in place the hostel facilities by the academic year 2020.