DIMAPUR, April 23 (MExN): Setting up of private hostels are in an acute increase especially in the commercial hub of the city. ‘Mushrooming of hostel is not an issue but mushrooming of ‘Modhu’ houses is the issue’ commented Atola on the recent increase in the number of hostels in Dimapur city.
The number of hostels in Dimapur are increasing very fast. The Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) has, last year registered 57 hostels while it has increased to 67 hostels in 2005-06.
Many reasons have been cited for the increasing number of hostel in Dimapur. ‘Many hostels are established with the aim to earn money and not to prepare the students for their future’ said a hostel proprietor and added, ‘people do not generate new ideas but they just copy others and they would close down after one or two years seeing that the prospect to earn money was not good’. Many hostels do not have the facilities to prepare the students mentally, spiritually and physically said a hostel student who is not satisfied with the facilities provided. The environment and the relationship of the pupils and the wardens or the authorities should be congenial and homely where the students feel free to develop and prepare themselves for the future said Atola. While appreciating the various steps taken be Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) for the welfare of the students community, she expressed her view that the mushrooming of hostel should be stopped. ‘I feel it should be stopped. But how?’ she questioned.
‘Kohima and Dimapur are the main learning centers in Nagaland and every year many students are coming to the cities for studies which led to the increase of hostels’ said Toshi and added. ‘There are some who run and view running hostel as business’. While pointing out that there should be a limitation on the number of hostels he said, the hostel should not only look at the education but also on the life of the students, their spiritual life and physical etc. Financial gains should be secondary said Tiala while pointing out that most of the hostels runs it for money. ‘The mushrooming of hostel need not be stopped because a time will come when the good hostels will stand up and the business hostels will vanish’ she said and added there should be balance between spiritual education and other education’.
On the other hand, the student feels that there should be complete independence of their actions. ‘Staying in hostel should not be like prison. We come to study not to get imprisoned in hostels’ said a student. Many students have expressed their view that rules should be made more lenient for the college going students while pointing out that they are matured to understand their responsibilities and to decide what is good and bad for them. Some students are against the arrangement of keeping both high school and college students in the same hostel, which they claim, is a threat to their independence because of their immature behavior and activities.
With the increase in the number of students in hostels, the facilities provided are degrading day by day which has affected the studies indirectly pointed out some hostellers. With most of the colleges based in Dimapur and Kohima, students from different districts come in large numbers to pursue their higher studies, which students say is the main reason for the mushrooming of hostels.
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