DU reaches out to transgender students to help in admission process

In 2018, the centre saw only 10-15 transgender students reaching out for admission-related information. However, not even a single aspirant enrolled themselves for DU’s regular courses.

Set up last year to provide educational counselling to transgender students, Delhi University’s transgender resource centre will Monday discuss more outreach-based modalities for this year’s admission procedure.

The Transgender Resource Centre at Delhi University's North Campus (Biplov Bhuyan / HT Photo)

In 2018, the centre saw only 10-15 transgender students reaching out for admission-related information. However, not even a single aspirant enrolled themselves for DU’s regular courses. The varsity had received approximately 100 applications ever since it introduced the third gender category in 2015.

“After last year, we saw that our centre-based model was unlikely to get us the desired output and encourage more transgenders to pursue higher education. So this time around, we are focussing on outreach to see if it works better,” said Rajesh, an associate professor at the Department of Adult, Continuing Education and Extension, who runs the centre.

Rajesh said the centre had also approached voluntary organisations to help them with the outreach-based programmes. Under it, volunteers from the organisations and the centre would tie-up and visit different communities and deliver “information packages” on the educational counselling and also troubleshoot for them. “We aim to reach out to at least 1,000 transgenders. For that, we will be reaching out to at least two-three organisations every week,” he added.

The centre also has a team of volunteers who have conducted sensitisation programmes in schools on inclusive education. “The sensitisation has to happen at elementary level as well. Our focus is also on providing “an information package” to transgenders so that those looking to avail education know how to go about things,” Rajesh added.

The centre, along with voluntary organisations working with transgenders, will train them on online admissions. “The volunteers will disseminate information on where to take admission, how to go about the different admissions processes including those of Indira Gandhi National Open University and School of Open Learning, share important dates etc,” Rajesh said, adding that they have made a WhatsApp group to share information on various admission drives.

Currently, members of the transgender community prefer opting for distance education options. “Apart from lack of sensitisation, regular classes also prove to be a hindrance because many among us need to work and financial support ourselves,” said a transgender student requesting anonymity.

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