FREE EDUCATION FOR TRANSGENDERS SOON

Community welcomes move but wants more stake in making of decisions and policies . In a major boost towards empowering transgenders/ third genders, state may soon be the first to provide free education to them till post-graduation. The state has set up a high-level committee to study and make recommendations on the proposal of providing free education. The Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC),

which comprises top academicians, vice chancellors from all universities, experts and representatives from the government, has set off the proposal.

KSHEC forms policies pertaining to education system and recommends changes for betterment of education system. 

The proposal is also considering providing free education to girls from all communities and to ones with physical disability of more than 50 per cent. A decision was taken in this regard in a recent KSHEC meeting, a source told Bangalore Mirror. Experts in the meeting, sources said, expressed that though free education to third genders till post-graduation was feasible, the proposal on providing free education to girl students from all communities needed to be looked into. "Tumakuru university vice chancellor Prof AH Rajasaab said that though providing free education to third genders and those beyond 50 per cent disability was feasible, providing education to all female students needed to be looked into. He proposed considering of those falling within the income bracket mentioned by the government," the source added. 

A committee headed by vice chancellor, Kannada University, Prof Mallika S Ghanti has been constituted to look into inclusion of all girl students. 

"Free education to third genders has been agreed in principle. The committee will primarily look into other aspects. Once decided, the order of providing free education to third genders will apply to all universities, and would also cover professional courses like engineering or medicine," the source explained. 

Community welcomes move 

While the community members welcomed the government's move towards bringing transgenders into the mainstream, they maintain that the proposals can't see an effective implementation if no one from the community is included in the committee to study and make recommendations on the proposal. 

"It is a good policy. However, no officials are educated about our issues. The transgender policy brought in 2014 has not been implemented yet. Women and Child Welfare Department had constituted a committee based on SC judgment. But even after two years, the policy has not been implemented. My demand would be that whatever committee is formed now, a member from the community should be included. In the entire state, Suma is the first transgender to take up education; she is a first-class student pursuing degree in journalism at St Joseph's College. They should include committee members. Officials should be educated on transgenders and awareness should be brought among the bureaucrats to realise any such initiatives," Akkai Padmashali, transgender activist and co-founder, Ondede, told BM. 

A UNIVERSITY FOR TEACHERS 

A university to teach teachers: State is mulling setting up of a university on lines of Azim Premji University. It has decided to constitute a committee of experts to study and prepare report on the same. This is in a bid to enhance quality of education in state at primary and middle education level. KSHEC has decided to form a committee to look into the proposal on formation of Karnataka State University for Teacher Education to strengthen education system at BEd and MEd levels, on the lines of Azim Premji University. 

ACADEMICIANS SCORE OVER BUREAUCRATS 

It seems academicians have won round one of their battle with bureaucrats over appointment of registrars — registrar (evaluation) and registrar (admission) — as government decides that from now on, the vice chancellor will propose five names after syndicate's approval and one to be selected by government. All these years, there was a debate if IAS officers, senior KAS officers and IFS officers could be appointed for the post of registrar (evaluation). While academicians voiced against it, some took stand that bureaucrats, who are experienced in administration added to hassle-free functioning of universities.