AFP, New Delhi :
The Delhi government, in line with its “inclusive” education policy, is going to introduce a curriculum to train its teachers in handling the concerns of transgender students “sensitively”.
The curriculum will begin from the next academic year-April, 2019- aimed at making its 1,100 schools “inclusive” for the transgender students, according to the officials of Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DoE).
The curriculum will be designed by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), an autonomous body that conducts training sessions and development programmes for school teachers in the city.
“The first step to make school campuses inclusive for transgender students is to train teachers in handling their issues sensitively…It’s ultimately the teachers who will deal with them first”, said Sanjay Goel, the Director of DoE.
Considering the issue, he said that the DoE has decided to introduce a training curriculum to sensitize teachers to deal with the transgender students.
He, however, hinted for hiring expert as resource person to train teachers in how to identify and handle the problems that transgender students face in school campuses.
The teachers should be well trained in handling all these issues and make students fell welcomes at the schools. Otherwise, it is not possible to encourage transgender students to attend regular schools, Goel added.
Teachers, experts and NGO leaders here hailed the move saying the curriculum would immensely help breaking the prevailing gender stereotypes.
India’s first transgender school named-Sahaj International- was opened in Kochi in Kerala in December 2016. The school curriculum included skill development programme along with examinations equivalent to class X and XII.
According to a survey conducted last year, across 15 private schools here, with a total strength of 7,000 students and a sample population of 700, 19 % of the sample population identified as gender non-confirming and 30 % experienced gender based bullying.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India gave a landmark judgment on April 15, 2014 declaring transgender people as a ‘third gender”.
It affirmed that the fundamental rights granted under the constitution will be equally applicable to transgender people, and gave them the right to self-identification of their gender as male, female or third-gender.
This judgment also granted “reservation” in admission to educational institution and job of the transgender people.
