Enrolment of Transgenders in Higher Educational Institutions In order to address the various issues and problems faced by transgender community in Higher Educational Institutions with empathy and efficiency, UGC has issued a circular on October 29th, 2014 to all the Vice Chancellors of the universities requesting them to include a column for transgender category in all application forms/academic testimonials and all other relevant documents processed by them as well as by their affiliated colleges. The Commission has also requested universities to take other affirmative actions to get the transgender students adequately acclimatized without facing fear, stigma or shame. The Commission has also issued directions on October 20th, 2014 to all its bureaus to ensure that the forms of all the schemes being operated by UGC carry a column for the transgender in gender category. In its circulars dated October 29th, 2014 & February 02nd, 2015 UGC has written to all the Vice Chancellors of the universities about creation of transgender friendly infrastructure, organization of sensitization programmes and ethnographic research on issues related to transgender life & culture in India. Further, the Commission has chalked out an action plan for the issues pertaining to transgender persons. The Commission has also written to MCI (Medical Council of India) on January 29th, 2015 to introduce curricular reforms in courses, foundation or otherwise, offered to students of medical colleges so as to enable them to treat transgender with competence and efficacy. This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani today in a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
