Inflation has hit Bangladesh hard. Food prices are skyrocketing. Among the worst sufferers, there are the residential students of public universities. They rely on varsity canteens and cafeterias to get their meals, as only a few of them can cook themselves. They pay more for their meals but in exchange they get low-quality and unhygienic food at their canteens. According to a nutritionist, a university student should consume at least 2,800 kilocalories a day. However, a Jahangirnagar University-based survey says that a residential student can consume at the maximum 1,821 kilocalories per day on average. The food they are now consuming has little nutritional values. So, they are suffering from malnutrition. On the other hand, the question of hygiene and cleanliness also persists due to which students' health is deteriorating day by day.
Sometimes students demonstrate at their respective institutions demanding quality food at reasonable prices, but the situation remains unchanged across the country over the years. The teachers, who are in charge of supervising the food quality and kitchen, should monitor the entire affair and take action accordingly. The administration should also increase the allowance so that students can have quality food at a low cost. So, we urge the university authorities to pay more subsidies to keep food prices within the reach of students studying at the tertiary level. Improving the quality of food at varsity canteens is now an urgent demand that should be met without much ado.
Ashikujaman Syed,
Research Assistant,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID).
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