Students struggle as PSH clings to college hostel

Islamabad : For around 13 years, students of Islamabad Model College for Boys, H-9 have been denied access to their on-campus hostel as Pakistan Sweet Homes (PSH) refuses to relinquish control.

Despite receiving billions of rupees in charity for orphans, PSH has maintained its hold on the hostel, forcing students from remote areas to seek costly and inconvenient private housing. The issue extends beyond the hostel building. There are also reports of PSH encroaching on the land belonging to the Capital Development Authority. And even the road in front of the hostel has been occupied, restricting access to H-9/4.

PSH originally took over the hostel in August 2012, and despite repeated concerns from students and faculty, authorities have made no concrete efforts to reclaim it. The hostel’s continued occupation has severely impacted the students, especially those from remote regions. With no on-campus lodging available, many students are forced to live in private hostels in far-off areas like Chatha Bakhtawar and Rawalpindi. Coming from low-income families, they struggle with high rents and transportation costs, which in turn affects their academic performance.

An assistant professor at the college told ‘The News’ that the hostel was irregularly handed over to PSH through an agreement signed in 2012 by a Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) officer, serving as the acting director general, without authority. He added that at the time, FDE, the regulator for Islamabad’s public schools and colleges, had no permanent director general, and a BPS-19 officer signed a brief agreement with PBM to use the hostel for orphan accommodation.

“That agreement was invalid, as a BPS-19 officer is not authorised to hand over a public building to anyone. That was a blatant misuse of power,” he said. Another senior teacher said the needs of college students from Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and other distant regions were completely ignored and instead, a facility meant for students was turned into a revenue-generating asset for PSH, which had since amassed billions in charity.

Another faculty member complained that the college’s students living in private hostels endured poor conditions, including unhygienic food and inadequate sanitation.

He added that many students came from low-income families already struggling financially. “Living in private hostels is extremely expensive, and managing both lodging and transportation costs is a significant challenge. The college hostel was meant to provide them with affordable housing, but it has instead been taken over by PSH,” he said.

The students also voiced frustration. Abdullah, a BS student from Hazara Division, said he had faced lodging issues since his admission to the H-9 college. He said private accommodation was too expensive, and his family couldn't afford his education expenses. Ismail, a student from Skardu, echoed the grievance. “Living in private hostels is extremely costly, and on top of that, I have to bear transportation expenses. This is a major financial burden on my family,” he said.

The students insisted that despite repeated appeals from students and faculty, FDE had yet to take meaningful action to resolve the issue. They said the continued occupation of the hostel by PSH not only violated their rights but also raised serious concerns about accountability within the FDE.