Lessons in inclusion, via the keyboard

December 22, 2014 07:58 am | Updated 09:01 am IST - CHENNAI:

Earlier this year, the management of KRM Public School in Perambur approached R. Jeeva, founder of the Transgender Rights Association with an unusual request.

Jeeva admits she was a little surprised when students offered to take transgender women to their computer lab to teach them the basics of Microsoft Excel and Word.

Jeeva now works as a campus supervisor at the school, and many of the transgender women who got trained are looking for jobs, she said. Both, the students and Jeeva admit that though excited, they were also a little apprehensive in the beginning.

“Towards the end, we shook hands and became friends,” said Faiza Fathima, one of the 12 class VIII students who took part.

The subjects taught included the basics of computers and using the internet and e-mail. The students also conducted an assessment at the end of the 10-day training programme in August. “We realised how difficult it is to be a teacher. It was a learning process for us ,” said Farhadh Sha, another student.

Students of the school said they got the idea when they saw some transgender women begging on a train while returning from a trip to Mysore. “We considered teaching science and mathematics. But, our teacher suggested computer science as it is among the most important skills now,” said S. Kuzhalini, a student.

D.P. Sivasakti Balan, school principal, said, “We are planning to take in one more person who was part of the programme once a vacancy occurs,” he said.

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