Resident students have expressed anger over irregularities in the dining arrangements and the poor quality of food at the Tapasi Rabeya Hall for women at Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST). They complain that the quality and taste of the food are not satisfactory and that those serving it behave rudely. As a result, with the meal rate high at 50 taka despite the poor quality of the food, many are unwilling to buy tokens regularly. The hall administration has meanwhile made a minimum of 25 tokens compulsory from July.
After the notice was issued, students of the hall expressed their anger on Facebook and other platforms. They contend that it is not fair to students to impose a punitive measure by simply raising the price of the food without improving its quality or ensuring the standard of service.
One student, who did not wish to be named, said: “Nutritious and healthy food is very necessary to cope with the pressure of study and examinations. But the taste and quality of the food in our hall are not satisfactory. Often the potatoes are half-cooked, the pieces of chicken are very small and given in small quantity, and it becomes difficult even to put the food in your mouth. On top of that, the behaviour of those who serve the food is extremely bad. The price of meals is being raised from next month, but there is no sign of any guarantee that the quality of the food will improve. I think that if the quality and taste of the food were good, students would buy tokens of their own accord.”
Another student, who also did not wish to be named, said: “I am dissatisfied with food not being served on time and with the rude behaviour of the staff on duty. During examinations you have to go at the set time and stand in a long queue. Often the food is ready but is not given out, and the staff also arrive late. The taste and quality of the food are not good either. The rice is hard, the potatoes are not properly cooked, and often the food is prepared with things left on the floor. I fell ill after eating this food. Now they are talking about raising the price from next month and making it compulsory. If the quality of the food were good, I would have no objection to paying more. But it is not possible to be forced to take monotonous, tasteless and poor-quality food every day.”
The provost of Tapasi Rabeya Hall, Dr Naznin Nahar, said students from various parts of the country live in the hall. It is natural that not everyone’s taste or preference in food will be the same. Even so, she said, she always tries to keep the cook and those responsible for managing the dining hall under supervision, so that the quality of the food is good and students are satisfied.
She added that another major problem is that many students do not buy tokens regularly, which creates financial pressure on running the dining hall. Because only a small number of students buy tokens, the meal rate also has to be kept comparatively high. Everyone’s cooperation is needed to resolve the matter, she said. On the complaints of discourteous behaviour towards students by those responsible, she said she would take any such incident seriously and that the necessary action would be taken.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report