Maharashtra State Common Entrance test for engineering and pharmacy courses includes options for trans persons
The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has now introduced a transgender column in its admission for engineering and pharmacy courses that will allow for more accurate gender identification.
Students who wish to apply for the upcoming Maharashtra State Common Entrance test (MH-CET) conducted for undergraduate engineering and pharmacy courses will now have the option of marking themselves under the transgender (TG) category. The examination would be conducted on May 11, 2017.
"From this year, we have decided to formally introduce the third gender option in our forms. The idea is to allow students who come from the third gender to mark themselves as one instead of the compulsion to fill into the male or female category. We are hoping that transgender students will benefit from this step" said Dayanand Meshram, Joint Director, DTE.
Last year, a total of 1.15 lakh students appeared for engineering alone of which there were more than 33,000 female students and 81,000 male students.
The inclusion of the third gender in the forms is seen as a welcome step by the transgender community. "We are happy that transgenders who would want to pursue engineering or pharmacy can now identify their gender correctly. Having said that, we need to also understand that merely providing a column will not work. Educational institutes should also have inclusive policies for the third gender. This includes making the institution safe for them by having separate washrooms, a strict anti-ragging policy, etc." said Laxmi Tripathi, a leading transgender activist.
This year, along with the inclusion of the third gender, the DTE has made several changes in the exam structure and admission process of CET. This includes making the forms simpler and user friendly, and changing the exam time-table to suit the requirements of all students.
"We have made the form very simple for students so that they can fill it without any hassle. We have also changed the time table in such a way that students who apply in both groups — Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics,Chemistry, Mathematics would be able to finish their exams earlier than usual" said Meshram.
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