Will Chinese students replace Belarusians in dormitories?
Fewer than half of nonresident students will be able to settle in dormitories in some universities this year. The others will have to rent rooms or flats. A place in the dormitory costs 20 thousand roubles while a room costs 150 dollars. ERB has decided to find out how students were settling in the city and what those who have not been provided with dormitories should do. The education pro-rector of Belarusian State Pedagogic Maxim Tank University Svyatlana Koptsava has informed that they can provide 38% of nonresident students with accommodation. It is 2% more than last year.
According to the pro-rector, there are many nonresident students in the university so there are not enough dormitories for everyone:
“Just think about it, 22% are Minskers and the others are from the provinces! We have only 6 halls of residence… And we can give accommodation to only 38% of those who need it”.
“Our students do not sleep at the railway terminal”, - says Svyatlana Koptsava. The university helps them - there is a data base with addresses and phone numbers of people willing to let rooms to students:
“We have a volunteers’ headquarters. They sent advertisements to all Minsk newspapers and radio asking Minskers to offer us flats. There are about 150 flats in our data base. They are different. A room costs from 75 to 150 dollars nowadays”.
Cf.: a room in the dormitory of the pedagogical university costs 20 thousand roubles a month. Renting a flat costs 15 times more!
How are places in dormitories of Minsk universities distributed among students?
Belarusian State University has explained to ERB that students having benefits get accommodation first. According to the pro-rector Svyatlana Koptsava, A-students, sportsmen and single mothers have a priority:
“Orphans, invalids and students having many siblings are settled in the first place. The other rooms are given to A-students and students noted for their achievements in sport and science. They are followed by single mothers and families – husband and wife should be our students and they should have children.
Students from downscale families will be settled after them. All of the mentioned categories have already received accommodation…”
The state pays compensation to those who have not received accommodation so that they could rent rooms themselves, says the education pro-rector of the pedagogical university:
“It is a small sum but we pay it to all students renting flats. It is about 20 thousands a month…”
The European Radio for Belarus has counted that the money is enough to live 2 days in a rented room in Minsk.
The education pro-rector of Belarusian State Technical University Andrei Haranouski says that only 48% of nonresident students will receive places in dormitories. Students having benefits, A-students and students from downscale families will be settled first:
“First of all, their income is taken into account after benefits. We try to give accommodation to the poorest students first. Discipline is also taken into account. If student have a lot of bad marks and missed classes they will not get rooms. If they are active, for example if they are group monitors… it is taken into account too”.
The situation in the main university of the country is a little better. About 55% of nonresident BSU students will live in dormitories this year. Every second student will have to look for a flat to rent.
The situation in the provinces is not that complicated. For example, Vitsebsk State Masherov University is able to settle 85% of nonresident students. This is not the biggest number – all students used to be settled there, says the education pro-rector Iryna Bondal:
“We gave accommodation to everyone who needed it last year; we even gave it to first-year students who paid for their education. The situation has become worse this year. We can provide only 85% of nonresident students with accommodation. We used to be able to settle 100% before 2006. We have not managed to settle all budget first-year students this year…
One hall of residence for 200 people is not available for students now. Moreover, there are many students from China in our country. And their number is increasing…”
ERB has counted that students renting flats will pay the same sum of money for it as they pay for education. A room costs about 100 dollars which makes it 1200 dollars per year.
Photo by — photosight.ru
According to the pro-rector, there are many nonresident students in the university so there are not enough dormitories for everyone:
“Just think about it, 22% are Minskers and the others are from the provinces! We have only 6 halls of residence… And we can give accommodation to only 38% of those who need it”.
“Our students do not sleep at the railway terminal”, - says Svyatlana Koptsava. The university helps them - there is a data base with addresses and phone numbers of people willing to let rooms to students:
“We have a volunteers’ headquarters. They sent advertisements to all Minsk newspapers and radio asking Minskers to offer us flats. There are about 150 flats in our data base. They are different. A room costs from 75 to 150 dollars nowadays”.
Cf.: a room in the dormitory of the pedagogical university costs 20 thousand roubles a month. Renting a flat costs 15 times more!
How are places in dormitories of Minsk universities distributed among students?
Belarusian State University has explained to ERB that students having benefits get accommodation first. According to the pro-rector Svyatlana Koptsava, A-students, sportsmen and single mothers have a priority:
“Orphans, invalids and students having many siblings are settled in the first place. The other rooms are given to A-students and students noted for their achievements in sport and science. They are followed by single mothers and families – husband and wife should be our students and they should have children.
Students from downscale families will be settled after them. All of the mentioned categories have already received accommodation…”
The state pays compensation to those who have not received accommodation so that they could rent rooms themselves, says the education pro-rector of the pedagogical university:
“It is a small sum but we pay it to all students renting flats. It is about 20 thousands a month…”
The European Radio for Belarus has counted that the money is enough to live 2 days in a rented room in Minsk.
The education pro-rector of Belarusian State Technical University Andrei Haranouski says that only 48% of nonresident students will receive places in dormitories. Students having benefits, A-students and students from downscale families will be settled first:
“First of all, their income is taken into account after benefits. We try to give accommodation to the poorest students first. Discipline is also taken into account. If student have a lot of bad marks and missed classes they will not get rooms. If they are active, for example if they are group monitors… it is taken into account too”.
The situation in the main university of the country is a little better. About 55% of nonresident BSU students will live in dormitories this year. Every second student will have to look for a flat to rent.
The situation in the provinces is not that complicated. For example, Vitsebsk State Masherov University is able to settle 85% of nonresident students. This is not the biggest number – all students used to be settled there, says the education pro-rector Iryna Bondal:
“We gave accommodation to everyone who needed it last year; we even gave it to first-year students who paid for their education. The situation has become worse this year. We can provide only 85% of nonresident students with accommodation. We used to be able to settle 100% before 2006. We have not managed to settle all budget first-year students this year…
One hall of residence for 200 people is not available for students now. Moreover, there are many students from China in our country. And their number is increasing…”
ERB has counted that students renting flats will pay the same sum of money for it as they pay for education. A room costs about 100 dollars which makes it 1200 dollars per year.
Photo by — photosight.ru
