New Delhi, November 25: Starting from next academic session, students belonging to ‘third gender’ category will be able to apply for admission to the University of Calcutta, thanks to the management of the University for taking such initiative to include all to take advantage of educational courses it offers.
The decision about the same was recently announced by University of Calcutta Vice-Chancellor Sonali Chakraborty Banerjee.
“Along with male and female, the admission forms for post-graduate and under-graduate courses in the university will now have the option of third gender,” Banerjee was quoted as saying by a news agency.
Historic step
Banerjee said her university took such a step as per the directive from the University Grant Commission which recently through a notification had asked the universities to include third gender as a category in admission process.
To avail scholarships
“The decision to include the option was taken after a notice by the University Grants Commission (UGC) called for the inclusion of Transgender as Third Gender in various scholarships and fellowships,” she said.
The UGC issued a notification recently in this regard with the purpose that students belonging to the ‘third gender’ category can avail scholarships and complete their higher education.
“As per the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, Transgender will be included as a third gender under the various scholarships/fellowship schemes of UGC,” the notice from the UGC recently stated.
No discrimination
To give all an access to mainstream education and to avoid the sense discrimination, Banerjee said her university took such kind of historic decision.
“Responding to the demand of the present time, the university felt that there should not be any discrimination in higher education facilities on the basis of someone’s sex,” Banerjee added.
While filling any application, students till now only had to tick in a box of male and female, but now, there will be a third box in which students belonging to third gender only will tick it.
