Calls for immediate evacuation of the “unhygienic” building MAKKAH - A women's delegation from the National Society for Human Rights visited Tuesday a female student hostel of the Umm Al-Qurra University in Makkah to probe allegations of overcrowding, unhygienic living conditions and inadequate food. The delegation discovered a number of shortcomings and deficiencies and called for the immediate evacuation of the building, especially a part called “G” Hostel. However, in a move that appears to contradict the NSHR's request for the building to be evacuated, the university has allegedly removed some students from the hostel and replaced them with 120 students from the medical college. During its visit, the NSHR delegation found that the unhygienic conditions at the hostel have affected the students physically and psychologically. To its surprise the delegation found that the entire building's windows were all closed with iron rods, depriving students of fresh air and proper ventilation. The delegation also noticed that the hostel was too small to accommodate 261 students. The hostel also has poor recreational facilities, it was discovered. In addition to this there was no special study room and clinic. Also most of the toilets were out of order and lacked basic health requirements. There was also a drastic shortage in the number of cleaning workers. The NSHR also observed that the meals were of a poor quality. The delegation noticed that the hostel is many kilometers away from the university which results in many students having great difficulty in getting to their lectures on time. The visit of the NSHR delegation was in response to a report published by Okaz about one month ago, in addition to complaints lodged by the students with the society in Makkah. Requests by the NSHR to visit the hostel were rejected twice by the hostel's warden, who wanted the university to give its permission first. Al-Jawhara Al-Anqari, an NSHR member, explained that there were many reasons for the visit, including the fact that the society was flooded with complaints from students. She said it was mandatory for the NSHR to determine the facts in such a case, especially since the hostel is regarded as the premises of a government body. She said that before the visit, the society had assigned a group of social workers and researchers to look into the conditions of the hostel. The group reported that the building was leased and consists of six stories and 74 rooms. In each story there are three flats. Al-Anqari said that, according to government regulations, there should be bedrooms, but also study and sitting rooms. “But because of the overcrowding at the hostel, all the rooms were turned into bedrooms. There is no adequate place for study. It should be understood that the basic objective behind any housing unit is that it should meet the minimum requirements of the residents, to make their lives easy and comfortable. More than most, students need an appropriate environment where they can concentrate and study, especially for those who study at practical colleges offering subjects such as medicine. In addition to this, all the windows are closed which means that there is no ventilation and clean air in the building. This makes me conclude that the entire building is unhygienic.” “Moreover, the cafeteria and kitchens are not properly equipped. It should be borne in mind that the students spend long hours at the university, so when they come back to the hostel they are completely exhausted and will not cook. Apart from this, there is no clinic in the building. This means the girls would have to go to hospital if they get ill,” said Al-Anqari. Okaz raised these issues with the university and a probe has now been launched. Dr. Abdul Aziz Suruji, dean of students' affairs at the university, said he was waiting for the NSHR report before commenting. He added that he was not authorized to speak to the media about the issues raised and referred all queries to the university's public relations department.
