Transgenders can avail fellowships

Transgenders can avail fellowships

Transgenders can now avail of scholarships and fellowship programmes following the recent release of a University Grants Commission (UGC) notification that has classified them as the third gender. The move follows the Supreme Court’s landmark April 13 ruling according them third gender status. What notification says? The notification does not specifically mention the funds allocated to the third gender. However, a UGC official said that since transgenders come under the OBC quota, they will be given benefits accordingly. While most scholarships have no gender bar, the UGC reserves some schemes for female students. These include scholarships for women who are the only girl child of their parents. How do students react? Transgender students hailed the UGC decision. “We must understand that children with such physical traits are often discarded by their families, which compromises their lives for ever. That is why most transgenders don’t even reach the point of higher education,” said a final year MA student at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar. An IIT Bombay student said, “The UGC’s move will help transgender students to overcome the social stigma attached to their gender and inspire them to pursue higher studies.” Why ‘third gender’? On April 13, the Supreme Court had created the ‘third gender’ status for hijras or transgenders to ensure they get equal opportunities in education and employment, which was being denied till now as they were forced to classify themselves as male or female. Who all will get benefits? The apex court had also directed the centre to treat transgenders as socially and economically backward and include them under OBCs. It had ruled that transgenders will be allowed admission in educational institutions and given employment on the basis of their third gender status. The benefits will be extended to people who have undergone surgical changes in terms of their sex. The court rule that those people will be entitled to the sex they choose and cannot be discriminated against.