PESHAWAR, March 23: Students hailing from far flung areas of the NWFP and its adjacent tribal agencies face accommodation problems in the provincial capital, making life tough for young learners.

Due to non-availability of accommodation and high rents, a large number of students are living in the basements of commercial plazas which were originally constructed for dumping goods. Mohammad Usman, a 9th class student belonging to the Khyber Agency, said that he was living in the basement of a multi-storey apartment in the Cantonment area. He said that he could not travel daily due to deteriorating law and order in the Khyber Agency, adding that he was living in the basement because his school did not have hostel facilities.

Usman said that he other students paid Rs2,500 per month for a small room in the basement which had no ventilation and other basic facilities.

Like Usman other students, who have admissions in city’s schools and colleges, are facing similar problem. Officials concerned acknowledged that private universities and colleges did not provide boarding facilities to students, although these institutions were bound to cater to their needs.

“Private sector institutions should provide hostel facilities to students,” said Professor Humayun Zia, chairman of the NWFP Higher Education Regulatory Authority (Hera). He said the government could not pressurise these institutions at this stage.

Hera was set up by the NWFP government in 2004 to regulate about 300 educational institutions in the private sector.

Major institutions like the NWFP Agriculture University, Islamia College and Edwards College also lack accommodation facilities. Students studying in these institutions have hired rooms on rent in different localities of Peshawar.

A first-year student of the Islamia College said that he changed his location twice because of security problems and unhealthy environment in the vicinity. Interestingly, the Islamia College has increased the number of seats at intermediate and degree levels but failed to provide accommodations to students.

Shamsur Rehman, who got admission in the NWFP Agriculture University on self-finance basis, said that he had been living in a small room for the last five months because he found no room in hostels. He said that many teachers have rented out their bungalows to students.On the other hand, the NWFP government has turned a blind eye to the shelter problem. The province has a housing department and an autonomous housing authority to address the rising shelter problem of the masses.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has recently established Tanzeem Lisail Wal Mahroom to work for the welfare of orphans and needy people, but the stark issue of the young generation is being ignored.