Female dormitories at the University of Dhaka continue to accommodate students in overcrowded temporary arrangements known as “boro rooms” or “entrance rooms”, even as similar mass accommodation systems once referred to as “gono rooms” in male halls have largely been phased out.
Students and hall representatives say the arrangements remain a stopgap measure for incoming female students, who are often kept in shared, congested spaces for months before being allocated permanent seats in the main dormitories.
Hall leaders from three female dormitories—Shamsunnahar Hall, Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall—confirmed to Dhaka Tribune that students are still being accommodated in such shared rooms. However, Ruqayyah Hall Union representatives said their hall does not currently operate any such mass accommodation system.
According to students who have lived in these rooms, conditions remain severely overcrowded. In some cases, around 20 students are accommodated in smaller rooms, while larger rooms reportedly host up to 100 students. One student from Shamsunnahar Hall, speaking on condition of anonymity, said around four fans are used for approximately 40 students in one such room.
“The living conditions are very difficult, especially during hot weather and exam periods,” the student said.
Hall sources and student accounts indicate that these rooms are used as transitional spaces for newly admitted students before formal seat allocation, but the scale of occupancy has raised concerns about comfort, hygiene and access to basic facilities.
Another vice-president from a female dormitory, also speaking anonymously, said the system has become a “necessary arrangement” due to the accommodation shortage. “Most DU students come from middle-class families, and living outside the hall is financially difficult. So this system continues as a temporary solution, even though it is not ideal,” she said.
Female students also said that overcrowding extends beyond dorm rooms, affecting access to libraries, reading rooms, dining halls, kitchens and toilets, which remain consistently under pressure due to high student density.
At the institutional level, the disparity between male and female accommodation remains significant. While the proportion of male and female students at Dhaka University is nearly equal, the number of women’s halls remains less than half that of male dormitories.
The university has more than 40,000 students in total, with nearly half being female. However, there are 13,494 seats across 13 male halls, compared to 4,843 seats in five female halls, according to available figures. This imbalance has contributed to a persistent shortage of accommodation for female students.
Officials acknowledge that a large number of students, particularly women, are forced to seek sublet accommodation outside campus or endure overcrowded hall conditions due to the limited number of seats.
After the July movement, the university authorities introduced a “bunk bed system” in some dormitories to ease pressure on existing facilities. However, students say the measure has not resolved the underlying shortage, with some still sharing beds or living in tightly packed arrangements.
In Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall, Vice President Sanjana Chowdhury Ratri said the so-called “gono rooms” were renovated after August 5 following administrative intervention.
“After the uprising, the administration stepped in, renovated the spaces and made them more livable. Now they serve as temporary holding arrangements. Newly admitted students are placed there for three to four months before being assigned permanent seats in the main building,” she said.
According to Shamsunnahar Hall sources, the bunk-bed system has been introduced across several floors to increase capacity. On the ground floor, around 18 students are accommodated in nine bunk beds. On the first floor, about 20 students share 10 bunk beds, while on the third and fourth floors, around 22 students occupy 11 bunk beds each.
Despite these arrangements, students say overcrowding remains a daily reality, particularly during peak admission periods when new students arrive faster than seats become available.
University officials acknowledge that the shortage of female accommodation is structural. DU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Almujaddadi Alfasane said the imbalance between student intake and residential facilities is particularly acute in the case of women.
“Women now make up a significantly larger share of Dhaka University’s student intake, yet the number of women’s halls is nowhere near proportionate to that figure,” he said.
He added that expanding residential capacity remains a priority, but progress depends on timely implementation of ongoing projects.
“The only real path forward is for the government’s allocated budget for new hall construction at Dhaka University to be implemented quickly and efficiently. If we can push that work through without delay, I do believe the crisis can be resolved,” he said.
At present, the university has launched a Tk2,841.86 crore development project aimed at expanding residential capacity through the construction and extension of multiple halls. The plan includes building a 15-storey female dormitory after demolishing Shahnawaz Hostel, two extension buildings for Shamsunnahar Hall (10-storey and six-storey), a 10-storey extension for Bangladesh-Kuwait Friendship Hall, and redevelopment of staff quarters of the Leather Engineering and Technology Institute to increase housing space.
In addition, a proposed “Bangladesh-China Friendship Hall Construction Project”, estimated at Tk244 crore with Chinese financial assistance, is also under consideration.
Officials say these projects are expected to add capacity for at least 3,000 students once completed, but acknowledge that the current shortage will persist until construction is finished.
For now, students say the gap between demand and supply continues to define everyday life in female dormitories—where temporary arrangements have become long-term realities.