It was decided to provide free education to transgender category students in all the state universities and their affiliated colleges of Maharashtra.
Main point
- The meeting was organized by the Department of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra to review the progress of implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to 2023.
- The announcement was made by state Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil after a state-level meeting with vice-chancellors of all universities for effective implementation of the new National Education Policy.
- To promote diversity and inclusivity in higher education opportunities for the transgender community, the State will provide free education to transgender students at its own cost.
- The minister urged state universities to bear the cost of education of transgender students from the funds made available to them.
- All the Vice-Chancellors unanimously accepted the appeal made by the Minister (to provide free education to the students of transgender community).
- On December 7, 2023, the Maharashtra government has decided to extend the benefit of fee waiver to transgender students in technical education and diploma courses in higher education institutions.
- Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) will bear the cost of fees of students in diploma courses.
- Traditional courses as well as all other professional courses like management, engineering are already covered under the fee-waiver decision for transgenders in universities and affiliated colleges.
- Diploma courses are regulated by MSBTE. Therefore it required a specific instruction.
- Recently, KC Law College has admitted a transgender student to its new batch of LLB course through the centralized admission process conducted by the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) cell.
- There are currently 7 transgender students studying in Mumbai University and affiliated colleges.
Objective
- The move aims to make higher education institutions more equitable for students from the transgender community.
- Through education empowerment, the transgender community hopes to find their rightful place as equals in a more inclusive society.
- It is an effort to promote higher education among the deprived sections of the society and bring them into the mainstream.