The cost of living in Bangladesh has been gradually increasing over the years, but for students, this effect is felt as a sharper and more immediate pain. With limited or no income, many are forced to reconsider how they study, eat, travel and even plan out their future.
At public universities, where students once scraped through on modest budgets, pocketbook costs have quietly doubled. A meal at a campus canteen that used to cost Tk 30-40 now often goes over the Tk 70-80 mark. The cost of house rent, transportation and the price of daily necessities - everything is increasing simultaneously. It is not just the financial stress that could also add some mental pressure as well, leading to loss of focus and reduced wellbeing.
Students are responding in various ways - some practical, some concerning.
One is the increasing reliance on part-time employment. Many university students are now doing online tutoring or freelancing, or picking up small private jobs. That offers some financial relief, but at a heavy price. Managing studies on one hand and working on the other hand brings fatigue and is the reason for less study time. A quiet tug-of-war is always being played out between getting an education and making a living.
A second means of coping is tightening the budget. Students are also scaling back on non-essential spending, splitting rooms to save on rent or even skipping meals now and then to cut costs. This is increasingly common in major academic hot spots like Rajshahi and Dhaka, where many residents live communally or share a rooftop space. But this 'adjustment culture' that we have been forced into is simply not sustainable in the long term.
Not all students have the same capacity to cope. Students from lower-income families, in particular, are increasingly falling behind and sometimes contemplating dropping out or taking academic leaves. The increasing expense is gradually forming an invisible gulf - between those who can wield and those who cannot.
There's a need that goes beyond coping strategies.
First, universities must rethink their student support systems. Cheap meal schemes, subsidised travel and options for paying rent on a weekly basis can help.
Second, campuses are ripe for structured part-time opportunities. Students can earn without jeopardizing their studies by expanding opportunities for research assistantships, administrative support roles or skill-based campus jobs within the universities.
Lastly, there should be a push for financial literacy among students. Basic budgeting skills, understanding about savings and access to digital earning platforms can help students tide through economic pressure better.
Md Shihab Uddin
Volunteer, UNICEF Bangladesh
