Transgender enrolment in schools, colleges rises, UP, Bihar lead: Government data
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar recorded the highest school enrolments in 2023-24, with 327 and 282 students respectively.SOME STATES SHOW DECLINE DESPITE OVERALL GROWTHDespite the nationwide upward trend, some states witnessed a fall in numbers.Rajasthan saw a decline from 107 students in 2021-22 to 77 in 2023-24, while West Bengal recorded a steep drop from 211 to 62 between 2022-23 and 2023-24.Table: State-wise transgender students in schoolsState/UT2021-222022-232023-24Uttar Pradesh16239327Bihar447282Rajasthan1078877Karnataka0239Maharashtra33212West Bengal021162Odisha64322Jharkhand21127Meghalaya02623Andhra Pradesh013231All India Total155880965INSTITUTIONAL ENROLMENT INCREASESA similar increase was seen in colleges and universities. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), the number of transgender students enroled in higher education increased from 302 in 2020-21 to 1,448 in 2022-23 (provisional).Uttar Pradesh topped this list as well, with 369 students in 2022-23, followed by Maharashtra (158), Madhya Pradesh (124), Telangana (104), and Tamil Nadu (98).Table: State-wise transgender students in colleges and universitiesState/UT2020–212021–222022–23 (P)Uttar Pradesh30172369Maharashtra16118158Madhya Pradesh976124Telangana1524104Tamil Nadu355698Rajasthan2634101Karnataka206973Kerala325554Gujarat72362Total3028771,448NEED FOR CONTINUED POLICY SUPPORTWhile the rise in enrolment is encouraging, officials and education experts emphasise that sustained efforts are needed to ensure retention and support for transgender students.Many states still report negligible or zero enrolment, including Ladakh, Nagaland, and Lakshadweep.The ministry acknowledged the need for inclusive educational frameworks and has called for institutional and policy interventions to bridge regional disparities and ensure that transgender learners can access and thrive in the system.- Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Neglecting Tagore's Legacy: Students Protest To Demand Campus For Bangladesh's Rabindra University
Last Updated: Students and teachers at Rabindra University have been taking classes on the Dhaka-Pabna National Highway, leading to trouble for commuters The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate who composed Bangladesh's national song, is under fresh scrutiny after miscreants recently vandalised his ancestral house in Sirajganj. Adding to the growing concern is the plight of Bangladesh's Rabindra University, an institution named in the Nobel laureate's honour, which still lacks a permanent campus after its inception. Students and teachers at Rabindra University have taken to the streets since July 26, staging a continuous protest on the Dhaka-Pabna National Highway. They are demanding immediate construction of a permanent campus—a promise long overdue. Demonstrations include symbolic classroom sessions on the highway, human chains, and road blockades, causing major disruptions to commuters. The university, established during then prime minister Sheikh Hasina's tenure, officially began its academic activities in the 2017–2018 session. Although 100 acres of land were allocated in Shirajgunj and a Rs 519 crore project has been approved by the Ministry of Education, the project still awaits final approval from ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council). Protesters, including faculty members, students, and local citizens, claim the delay is due to a negative environmental report submitted by Environment and Forest Affairs Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan. During a recent highway protest, students chanted slogans demanding her resignation, alleging that her report has stalled the project without justified reason. 'This university is in the name of the great Rabindranath Tagore, who gave us our national song, yet we are being denied a permanent campus," said Zakaria, a first-year PG Sociology student, speaking to News18. 'We have been protesting for the last three months. We are bleeding from our hearts because we cannot even properly respect Tagore. We will go for bigger protests if ECNEC doesn't act." As part of the protest, university teachers held symbolic classes on the highway, where students attentively attended 12 classes across five departments. The powerful and poignant act was meant to highlight the poor academic conditions students are currently facing in rented facilities. Currently, the university operates out of two rented buildings—Shirajpur Mohila College and Saifuddin Yahia Degree College—with over 1,200 students, 34 teachers, 54 officers, and 107 staff. Lacking hostels, a proper campus, and basic infrastructure, the university falls far short of standard higher education expectations. 'We don't know what's in the environmental report, but the way this project is being neglected is unacceptable," said Nazrul, the university's Proctor. 'This is not about politics—it's about our fundamental right to education and respect for Tagore's legacy." Protesters have vowed to continue their movement until the Development Project Proposal (DPP) is fully approved and construction begins. According to organisers, highway blockades will continue until at least August 10 and may escalate further if their demands are not met. First Published: August 02, 2025, 16:26 IST News world Neglecting Tagore's Legacy: Students Protest To Demand Campus For Bangladesh's Rabindra University Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
Transgender enrolment in schools, colleges rises, UP, Bihar lead: Government data
India has seen a notable increase in the enrolment of transgender students in both school and higher education, according to data shared by the Ministry of Education in the Rajya data was presented in response to a question by MP Swati per the figures, the number of transgender students enroled in schools rose from just 155 in the 2021-22 academic year to 965 in 2023-24. This marks a more than six-fold increase in two Uttar Pradesh and Bihar recorded the highest school enrolments in 2023-24, with 327 and 282 students STATES SHOW DECLINE DESPITE OVERALL GROWTHDespite the nationwide upward trend, some states witnessed a fall in saw a decline from 107 students in 2021-22 to 77 in 2023-24, while West Bengal recorded a steep drop from 211 to 62 between 2022-23 and State-wise transgender students in schoolsState/UT2021-222022-232023-24Uttar Pradesh16239327Bihar447282Rajasthan1078877Karnataka0239Maharashtra33212West Bengal021162Odisha64322Jharkhand21127Meghalaya02623Andhra Pradesh013231All India Total155880965INSTITUTIONAL ENROLMENT INCREASESA similar increase was seen in colleges and universities. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), the number of transgender students enroled in higher education increased from 302 in 2020-21 to 1,448 in 2022-23 (provisional).Uttar Pradesh topped this list as well, with 369 students in 2022-23, followed by Maharashtra (158), Madhya Pradesh (124), Telangana (104), and Tamil Nadu (98).Table: State-wise transgender students in colleges and universitiesState/UT2020–212021–222022–23 (P)Uttar Pradesh30172369Maharashtra16118158Madhya Pradesh976124Telangana1524104Tamil Nadu355698Rajasthan2634101Karnataka206973Kerala325554Gujarat72362Total3028771,448NEED FOR CONTINUED POLICY SUPPORTWhile the rise in enrolment is encouraging, officials and education experts emphasise that sustained efforts are needed to ensure retention and support for transgender states still report negligible or zero enrolment, including Ladakh, Nagaland, and ministry acknowledged the need for inclusive educational frameworks and has called for institutional and policy interventions to bridge regional disparities and ensure that transgender learners can access and thrive in the system.- Ends
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Transforming early childhood care and education
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) has ushered in transformative changes in the educational landscape of India, particularly in the field of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). While private schools have had nursery classes for long, government schools have historically admitted children only from Class one, thus sowing the seeds of inequity even before the start of schooling. By paving the way for the opening of preschool classes for 3-6 year olds in government schools — previously catered to only by Anganwadis in the public sector — the NEP has initiated a long-overdue structural transformation towards equity. There are three key structural shifts in the ECCE sector, driven by the NEP, with each one unfolding at a different pace. Understanding these shifts and preparing for them is crucial in ensuring quality early childhood care and education for the nation's children. COMMENT | Rewriting the script of early childhood education An expansion First, the expansion of the ECCE sector. A significant but often underappreciated shift is the anticipated growth of the ECCE sector by 2030, the target year for its universalisation. For decades, the public sector's ECCE infrastructure had stagnated at approximately 14 lakh Anganwadi centres. This is now set to expand significantly. With the NEP paving the way for three preschool classes (Balvatika-1,2,3) in government schools, the number of public ECCE classes will increase significantly. This will have substantial implications for personnel management, including the financing, recruitment, training and deployment of skilled ECCE providers. The Ministry of Education has already begun allocating budgets under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for the ECCE. Many States and Union Territories (UTs) have begun utilising this provision to introduce preschool classes in government schools. But, some have not begun to use this provision, while others have under-utilised it with some training or material being added, without starting additional classes. The extent and manner of this utilisation needs to be tracked. Also Read | Early Childhood Education: The squeeze on anganwadi workers Migration from anganwadis The second shift is the growing emphasis on education when compared to other ECCE services such as health and nutrition. This trend is already visible in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, where the Union Territory has introduced a preschool class in all its primary schools, prioritising the admission of 4-6 year olds. This has resulted in a substantial migration of this age group from Anganwadis to schools. Data shows that parents have overwhelmingly preferred preschool classes in schools over Anganwadis, when given both options. This migration is largely driven by the perception that schools offer better educational opportunities. As a result, the traditional image of Anganwadis as vibrant centres filled with toddlers is now at risk as more government schools open preschool classes, and children in the 3-6 year age group move out of Anganwadis to schools. The Anganwadi system must adapt by emphasising education as a part of its ECCE services. The Ministry of Women and Child Development's 'Poshan bhi Padhai bhi' initiative is a timely step. However, its success depends on tangible implementation at the ground level, targeting an increase in measurable indicators such as the time spent by an Anganwadi worker on educational activities. While schools cater to this demand, they need to be aware of the risks of excessive 'schoolification' of pre-schooling. They need to retain play at the centre of this education, in order to focus on the breadth of skills, instead of focusing on the narrower skills of reading and writing in the pre-school classes. Also Read | The economic case for investing in India's children The critical role of home visits Third, the potentially most transformative shift is the possible reorientation of the Anganwadi system to focus on children aged 0-3 years through home visits, rather than focusing on 3-6 year olds attending the centres. Research, such as the 'Perry Preschool at 50' study in the United States and the Yale university study in Odisha done in collaboration with Pratham, highlights the critical role of home visits in early childhood development programmes. In India, policymakers such as V. K. Paul (Member, NITI Aayog) and N.C. Saxena (IAS, retired ) have long advocated focusing on 0–3-year olds within the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) framework, given the disproportionate developmental benefits during this stage. While the Prime Minister's Overarching Scheme For Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyan has emphasised the importance of the first 1,000 days of life, implementation challenges persist. Overburdened Anganwadi workers naturally focus on 3-6 year olds who are physically present at the centres, leaving limited scope for individualised services to 0-3 year olds through home visits. If government schools assume responsibility over 3-6 year-olds, we have a unique opportunity where the Anganwadi system could redirect its focus towards 0-3 year olds, along with the care of pregnant and lactating mothers, through more intensive home visits. This shift, if realised, would mark a truly transformative change in India's ECCE framework. The seeds for this transition have already been sown in the NEP 2020. Jatin Goyal is Director (Education), Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Joint Secretary (Finance). He was Director (Women and Child Development) earlier. The views expressed are personal
