With the objective of transforming the lives of the transgenders, the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) here has decided to fully waive the fee for those from the community joining courses offered by 27 departments in the university and its 10 constituent colleges from this academic year onwards.
When MSU vice-chancellor K. Baskar moved this path-breaking resolution in the 167th Syndicate Committee meeting held on March 31, the members overwhelmingly supported the move.
The university officials claimed that it was perhaps the first university in the country to offer such an attractive incentive to encourage the transgenders to go in for higher education, even up to doctorate. In fact, the syndicate members made a fervent appeal to the managements of affiliated colleges – both aided and unaided institutions – to extend fee waiver to the transgender community.
“After getting neglected by the society and even by their parents, the transgenders are forced to beg on the streets. If we can create a favourable condition for acquiring better educational qualifications, it will enable them to occupy enviable positions in government or private institutions, and hence, the MSU has taken an initiative in this direction,” Dr. Baskar said on Tuesday.
Separate facilities
The constituent college principals and the heads of aided and unaided colleges affiliated to MSU had been instructed to create facilities including separate toilets for transgenders joining any of the courses, he said.
