Even though the administration has received 45 applications under the "others" category, so far, officials are not sure how many will actually end up joining the varsity.
When Delhi University (DU) decided to add the third gender category in its admission forms in 2014, the move was hailed by everyone, especially transgender students. Three years down the line, not a single third gender aspirant turned up at the 10-day counselling session, which concluded in the university's north campus on Wednesday.
Even though the administration has received 45 applications under the "others" category, so far, officials are not sure how many will actually end up joining the varsity. "Every year, we receive numerous applications from third gender students, but hardly anyone joins regular college. Most prefer DU's School of Open Learning (SOL)," a senior official at DU's Department of Adult, Continuing Education, and Extension said.
When queried, the fear of humiliation emerged as the main reason why third gender students did not attend the counselling session on the campus. "Last year, one of my friends, who was visiting the varsity to fill her form, was left shaken by the kind of questions she was asked," Sharmila (name changed), 20, of Uttar Pradesh (UP), said.
Sharmila's friend Arpita (name changed), a second-year BCom student at SOL, said: "I wanted to join regular college, but when I reached there, I was left disheartened. Those who were handling the help desk asked me questions such as, 'are you sure you are a transgender' and 'when did you realise about your sexuality'" she said.
"So, I chose to join the SOL. Who can listen to the unbearable comments of fellow students every day" she rued.
Calling the trend unfortunate, Deputy Dean of Student Welfare, Gurpreet Singh Tuteja, said: "Despite our constant efforts to create awareness about transgender students on the campus, they hesitate to attend the counselling session."
Analysis
Faculty members said the infrastructure on campus was not friendly towards transgender students, as there were no unisex toilets
As per a study conducted by the Department of Adult, Continuing Education, and Extension, none of the third-gender applicants joined regular college in 2015 because they either did not meet the cut-off or did not feel welcome
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