A few days ago, more than 10 domestic universities such as Peking University, Nankai University, Beijing Normal University, and Nanjing University have made it clear that they will no longer provide dormitories for some graduate students in the 2024 master's enrollment brochure. This policy adjustment has aroused widespread public concern and controversy.
With the expansion of enrollment in various universities, more and more students choose to continue their graduate studies after graduation. This has also led to a common problem, namely the shortage of dormitory resources. Recently, many universities have announced that they will no longer provide on-campus accommodation for some graduate students, and for students from rural areas, this policy change has undoubtedly increased the financial pressure on them to pursue graduate studies, which in turn has triggered a deep reflection on this policy in society. Many people are beginning to question whether this policy is reasonable and whether it will raise the bar for graduate school.
Let's take a look at the reasons why some universities have cancelled graduate dormitories. As the number of graduate students continues to grow, the allocation of dormitory resources has become increasingly strained. Providing accommodation services requires a lot of human, material and financial resources, including the management, maintenance and cleaning of the dormitory. For universities that do not have the means to do so, cutting or eliminating accommodation services is undoubtedly a way to reduce the financial burden.
On the other hand, the most common duration of study for graduate students in China is 3 years, which is shorter than that of undergraduates; However, the phenomenon of "postponement" of graduate studies is increasing, and students often have to extend the semester to 4 or even 6 years before they can complete their degree studies, which also causes the limited accommodation resources on campus to become more strained.
However, this policy adjustment has had a profound impact on rural students. The increased economic burden is the most immediate problem. Due to the relatively poor economic conditions of rural students' families, the cancellation of accommodation means that they will have to pay additional rent and transportation costs, which greatly exacerbates their financial pressure. Moreover, the cancellation of accommodation may also affect the academic and Xi environment and psychological state of rural students. Their academic Xi and stability in urban life are affected, and psychological stress and loneliness may also increase, which poses a potential threat to their physical and mental health and Xi academic development.
Therefore, in order to solve this problem, colleges and universities should increase financial support for rural students and provide higher amounts of financial subsidies and living subsidies to reduce their financial burden. It is also possible to solve the problem of shortage of dormitory resources by expanding dormitories and improving the efficiency of dormitory use, so as to meet the accommodation needs of more students. Partnerships with social capital can also be explored to build student apartments or rent them on the market** to provide students with more flexible and affordable accommodation options.
In summary, despite the many challenges and problems brought about by the abolition of the graduate accommodation policy, we believe that through the efforts and cooperation of all parties, a reasonable solution will be found. This is not only related to the rational allocation of dormitory resources in colleges and universities, but also related to the educational opportunities and quality of life of rural students.