Kochi To Get India’s First Transgender School, To Be Inaugurated On Dec 30

Sahaj International School in Kochi will be the first residential transgender school in the country. Transgender activists Vijayaraja Mallika, Maya Menon and Faisal CK made the announcement after working hard to make this dream come true.

The school will initially accommodate 10 transgenders, who will study under the National Open School system. The school will be inaugurated on December 30th by transgender rights activist and artist Kalki Subramaniam.

The school will be led by six transgenders working with the TransIndia Foundation. Students have been selected from different sections of the transgender community itself, which includes a disabled person and a migrant. “In the beginning, we had a few sponsors supporting us. We plan to seek financial help from government after proving worthiness of the project,” said Mallika, who mooted this idea.

Christian organisation Pro-Life Sector and National Open School have extended their support for the initiative. Many teachers and social workers have volunteered to take classes for the students. Other skill development programmes will also be included in the curriculum. The idea of the school was proposed to instill the belief that education is important and encourage drop-outs to resume their studies.

The school will provide education and examination equivalent to Class X and XII, the activists said. “The aim of transgender school is to provide them with security, salvation and sustainability,” Mallika added.

The activists faced great difficulty in finding a place to start the school. “We were turned down by at least 50 building owners,” said Mallika. The school is now set to start from a space leased out by a Christian organisation.

Students will be provided with residential facilities for a short period, free text books, gender neutral toilets and tuitions for Class X and XII among other essentials like life skills education.

(With Inputs from The Indian Express)

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