NCERT's removal of transgender-inclusive manual is unjustified, says Madras HC: Report

NEW DELHI: The Madras high court has criticised the removal of the manual titled ‘Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and Roadmap’ by the National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) from its website. This report was published on the NCERT website in October 2021, reported The Wire.

Also read | LGBTQIA+ groups endorse open letter to retain NCERT manual on inclusion of transgender students in schools

The NCERT manual was published with the objective to ensure that children of all gender backgrounds found place and acceptance in the classroom. The report is supposed to assist teachers as a training manual. The report contains elaborations on gender identity and fluidity among other concepts. But the report was removed from the website within hours of its publication as it faced backlash on social media and elsewhere.

Also read | ‘All Equally Misinformed': Parent's online petition to retain NCERT's gender-neutral training manual

According to the manual, only 19 transgender students registered for Class 10 exams, while only six registered for Class 12 exams conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2020. A high pass percentage was recorded among transgender students. This shows that the low number of transgender students in schools is not a result of diminished intelligence or lack of interest in learning but marginalisation in society.

“This court is not able to understand the need for the removal of the report within hours of the material getting published on the website,” the Madras high court has observed, according to the LiveLaw report.

Also read | NCPCR asks NCERT to rectify 'anomalies' in gender-neutral teacher training manual

In June, Anand Venkatesh, Madras high court judge, had issued guidelines regarding the safety of the LGBTQIA+ community and the prevention of their harassment by authorities. Reforms were suggested in this regard which included sending police and government officials to awareness training and revoking the license of medical practitioners who claim to “cure” homosexuality.

The court appreciated the NCERT’s plan, but deemed the sudden removal of the report unjustified. “This Court, therefore, expects NCERT to come up with a status report on this issue before the next date of hearing,” it reportedly said.