Choice of hostels: Single sex or mixed

BY INNOCENT ANGUYO

As universities start preparations for admission of Government and privately sponsored students, it is high time students started looking for hostels.
 
There are a number of factors which students may have to consider, when looking for hostels. Accessibility to the hostels from the university campus, mixed of single hostels, hygiene, hostels fees and the mode of payment and the ownership of the hostel.

If you have never stayed in a hostel before, you might not know what to expect.  You might be wondering what the facilities will be like.  Will I be able to cook?  Will my movements be restricted?  Will I ever get a moment's peace? All these, are issues which students need to begin checking out for.

Don't be too quick to pass judgment if the hostel is small or a little run-down; older, smaller hostels can be more fun than large, modern, corporate ones.  Always check out a hostel's facilities before you register and pay.
 
A good hostel should be clean and secure.

Hostel security can be as complex as requiring having guards on duty; or it can be as simple as having the receptionist monitor who comes and goes.  But, the best hostels in Kampala city must always at least have a guard and register all visitors; as one way to account for whoever accesses the students’ premises.

But one of the most important decisions students have to make, is whether to join single sex or mixed hostels.

Joan Agnes of Makerere University believes single hostels especially those housing girls are unblemished and cleaner. Hygiene is her major reason for picking single hostels.

“I know not every guy is messy, but I’m sure most people would agree that we girls are usually tidier, cleaner, and more hygienic than guys tend to be! Although I am by no means a clean freak, whenever I have stayed in a female-only hostel, they are usually a lot cleaner than the mixed,” Joan reiterated.

The single hostels, Joan however notes, usually produce irresponsible people since there is no opposite sex to make them feel guilty of their actions. Girls, she adds, are fond of walking naked along the corridors and trashing food remains wherever they desire.

Meanwhile boys, she says, tend to skip doing laundry, dishes and cleaning the floor. Leaving the bed not made, she says is one of the bad vices in males-only hostels.

Comfort

Fiona Alesi of Kyambogo University grew up in a household with three brothers, and her being the only girl, she has come to share entirely everything in life with the opposite sex; ranging from clothes to rooms and suitcases. To her, comfort is all that matters.

Alesi says that being used to living with guys has cocooned her into feeling comfortable around boys; since they seem care-free and unbothered about petty things likes looks and attention; unlike girls.

She nonetheless admits that she feels comfortable doing certain things, the ladies’ way and in ladies’ places only.

“One good thing about a single sex hostel, you do not have to bother about going to the toilets to change. You are not worried about the prying eyes of males. You just easily change your clothes or undergarments without necessarily hiding,” Alesi says.

Personal development and individuality

According to Annet Asio, a lecturer at Institute of Accountancy and Commerce (IAC), guys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more collaborative when they are in mixed hostels.

When boys are in single sex hostels, Asio notes that, “Boys enjoy gossiping and playing games meant for girls; without the fear of criticism and being called ‘girlish’ by girls,” 

However, Asio says girls overcome their shyness and learn to take risks in a single sex setting. They become more competitive and embrace leadership, politics and sports like football with gusto, without worrying about appearing like tomboys.

She also says that, in mixed hostels, students are subjected to an avalanche of pressures in all aspects, to become adults before they are ready; just in the name of proving their manhood and womanhood to their peers. They grow up too quickly impeding their natural development process.

However James Nguza, a student of Uganda Christian University– Mukono dislikes single hostels with an untamable passion. For him, fun overrides all other motives when it comes to choosing a hostel.

Nguza says he finds the environment in mixed hostels much more fun. Mixed hostels, Nguza observes, are much better and a lot easier to make friends in, as well as just being a little bit cheaper. But he admits that it all depends on what suits the students.

“Please try out both types of hostels to find out what suits you best. Just because one thing suits me does not mean it will suit you,” he said.

Bottom line: Much of the efficacy as well as innocence of single or mixed hostel life depends upon its management, Philliam Adriko, the national youth counselor and scholarship manager at World Vision, says.

He says that a badly managed hostel is bound to spoil the lives of its inmates and a well-managed hostel will surely be a blessing for those who are lucky enough to live in it.

However, single hostels, Adriko observes, impede social diversity, permit gender discrimination and makes transition to work and family life hard for its products.

To sum it up, Adriko advises parents to allow their children make their choices of hostels they want to live in. He urges parents to consider three factors: letting their child be themselves, pursue their interests and allow them to socialise with other children and cultures.