Campus Desk :
A primary school-focused campaign is initiated to ensure an accessible educational environment for transgender students in educational institutions titled “Campaign for Trans-inclusive School Environment” by Brihonnola – an organization led by students of Dhaka University.
The first activation of the campaign was held at Asati Tripura Para Government Primary School of Alikadam upazila in Bandarban on Thursday.
The implementation of the arrangement is supported by Green Ink – a communication agency that has been involved in the development sector since 2012, says a press release issued on Monday.
The marginalized members of the third-gender community are deprived of all basic rights including education. Various studies on the education of members of the third gender population reveal that even though the members of this community participate in educational institutions, bullying, harassment, neglect of teachers, social behavior towards them, and materially inaccessible or hostile environment of schools are the main reasons behind getting dropout.
Although the present government recognized members of the third gender in 2013, there has been no significant change in their lives.
And for this, experts have identified lacking of proper knowledge and instructions in educational institutions. To ensure education for all and eliminate discrimination, the government has taken various initiatives for third-gender students.
The newly proposed curriculum also elaborates on the participation of this population in education. But in the current social reality, it is very difficult to ensure 100% education of students of the third gender and prevent them from getting dropout. This requires revising school policies for students of the third gender, implementing necessary changes for a better education environment along with changes in the physical infrastructure of the school premises – which includes necessary training of teachers and officials, and encouraging the students in this regard.
From the realization of such necessity, Brihonnola has started this campaign as a pilot project with the support of Green Ink.
The headteacher of the school Zainab Ara Begum said: “Learners of different abilities and diversity enlighten the learning environment of a school, strengthening the educational structure of the school. We encourage our teachers to accept this diversity and treat everyone equally so that students of all needs can attend our school without any obstacles. We will take appropriate measures to ensure their accessible learning environment.”
Sadiqul Islam, founder and president of Brihonnola, stated: “If students get the idea of the diverse population from school and learn to cooperate with the, it can prevent the students of the Third-gender population from getting dropout. We are introducing teachers to various strategies so that they can ensure a pleasant learning environment for transgender students while teaching in the classroom.
This campaign is in a pilot phase initiative. After analyzing the results of the piloting, we are willing to implement this project on a large scale.”
