Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 15: In a positive gesture, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked universities in the state to ensure a safe, friendly atmosphere for transgender students.
“Transgenders possess a distinct cultural identity of their own and have a unique presence in the socio-cultural map of the country. It is to be admitted that much remains to be done in order to ameliorate the discrimination and deprivation suffered by the transgender community in society,” wrote Jaspal S Sandhu, UGC secretary.
The UGC has also slammed the universities for not putting in any effort for the benefit of the transgenders such as provisions of separate washrooms and restrooms in the campuses.
The commission has also requested universities to put all necessary arrangements in place to ensure affirmative actions are initiated so that human rights of the transgender students are safeguarded and their
mainstreaming is fast-tracked within the universities and the society at large.
The UGC has further expressed its wish to initiate awards for major research projects to academicians who can in collaboration with community members and other experts in the field, undertake ethnographic research on the life and culture of the transgender community.
“The research will lead not only to a better understanding of the transgender subculture but also help dispel several myths pertaining to the community embedded in popular discourse,” wrote Sandhu.
The universities have been asked to encourage the faculty members to come forward and take up the challenge and come up with socially relevant research in the interest of the academia as well as the egalitarian society.