MU includes ‘transgender’ column in admission, examination forms

Decision comes following a UGC circular, which cited Supreme Court ruling.

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Transgenders stage a demonstration to press for their various demands, in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Source: PTI)

The admission, scholarship, examination and other forms of Mumbai University will have “transgender” as third gender as a separate column, besides “male” and “female”, from the 2015-16 academic year.

A circular recently issued by Mumbai University reminds its affiliated colleges of a circular by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which said that a Supreme Court judgment had “upheld transgenders’ right to decide their self-identified gender”, that is male, female or as third gender, as a way of “safeguarding and enforcing appropriately” their rights under the Constitution.

Significantly, the registration form issued by CHM College, Ulhasnagar (West), which is affiliated to Mumbai University, on a two-day national seminar on “literary oeuvre of Gulzar” on January 22-23, has male, female and transgender against details sought on gender.

“You are requested to include a column for transgenders under the gender category in all applications, forms, academic testimonials and all other relevant documents processed and issued by your university as well as the affiliated colleges. You would agree that one effective way of dispelling the myths and secrecy shrouding the community’s socio-cultural existence is to introduce chapters or courses borrowed from authentic ethnographic research on transgenders in the curriculum, at all levels of study, as a mandatory component of credits. Organising sensitisation programmes and awareness workshops for students, teachers, non-teaching staff and even parents of transgender students would go a long way in bringing the community members in the mainstream,” says the UGC circular, which has been quoted in Mumbai University’s circular.

The university circular asks affiliated colleges and other departments and centres to follow the instructions mentioned in the UGC letter regarding the inclusion of transgender as third gender under the various scholarship or fellowship, admission and examination forms.

“From the 2015-16 academic year onwards, forms of Mumbai University will have transgender as third gender as an option, as there are directions on the same from UGC. We will follow all UGC regulations. As a step in that direction, some of the affiliated colleges have already started implementing it,” said a university official.

The UGC circular also told universities it was imperative that transgender-friendly infrastructure like washrooms and restrooms are created in all higher educational institutions so that students of the community get adequately acclimatised, without facing any fear, stigma or shame.

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