New Delhi: A new NCERT guideline recommends gender-neutral school uniforms, transgender-inclusive curriculum, safe washroom facilities, and measures to reduce gender-based violence. The draft manual, called "Integrating Transgender Concerns in Schooling Processes," was prepared by a new 16-member committee put together by Jyotsna Tiwari, who is the head of NCERT's Department of Gender Studies. "Some of the students, specially from Grade VI onward, have preference for clothes, particularly school uniform. They do not feel comfortable in a particular dress. Schools can introduce gender neutral uniforms which are comfortable, climate appropriate, fit and do not conform to a particular gender," it said,
The panel has suggested that these uniforms might be designed by design institutes.
"Many schools have introduced pants and shirts that can suit any gender and they are comfortable for all school activities. Reinforcement of gender binaries in school structures, in terms of uniforms, use of toilets, participation in sports and extra-curricular activities, bullying and harassment for simply choosing to express themselves as opposed to social norms, are some of the glaring concerns raised by transgender persons when it comes to barrier in their education," it added. The panel has proposed that educators identify the spaces and scope of integrating gender, particularly transgender issues, into their pedagogy and textbook content wherever they perceive a gap in the current textbooks.—Inputs from Agencies
