Lok Sabha Question No. 178 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-14
Subject: Gender-Inclusive Education
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Balubhau (Alias Suresh Narayan) Dhanorkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 178 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2022

## Gender-Inclusive Education

## *178. SHRI BALUBHAU ALIAS SURESH NARAYAN DHANORKAR:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government believes that gender-inclusive holistic education, as per the New Education  Policy,  can  be  implemented  without  mandating  sex  education  and  relationship education in schools;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)  the  number  of  transgender  students  who  have  passed  Class  10  and  Class  12  and  the number of such students who dropped out of school before completing Class 10 and Class 12, Class-wise; and
- (d)  the  holistic  approach  adopted  by  the  Government  to  implement  a  gender-inclusive education to all students including transgender students?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

- (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (D) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 178 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.03.2022 ASKED BY SHRI BALUBHAU ALIAS SURESH NARAYAN DHANORKAR, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING GENDER-INCLUSIVE EDUCATION.

(a)  &  (b):    The  National  Education  Policy  2020  envisages  an  inclusive  and  structural  change  in  the educational system. It focuses on 'Equitable and Inclusive Education' which reverberates the idea that no  child  should  be  left  behind  in  terms  of  educational  opportunity  because  of  their  background  and socio-cultural identities. It has taken into account the concerns of the Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs) which includes female and transgender individuals, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled  Tribes,  OBCs,  minorities  and  other  categories.  This  policy  aims  at  bridging  the  social category gaps in access, participation, and learning outcomes in school education.

National Council of  Educational  Research  and  Training  (NCERT)  is  implementing  the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) as part of the National Population Education Project (NPEP). One of the learning outcomes of AEP is to make the learners aware of the concerns of adolescence, i.e. process  of  growing  up  during  adolescence  &  HIV/AIDS  and  to  inculcate  in  them  positive  attitude regarding these concerns.

Further,  the  aspects  related  to  gender-inclusive  holistic  education  are  covered  through  age appropriate  integration  in  different  textual  materials  in  school  curriculum,  as  well  as  in  training  and resource  materials  on  Health  and  Wellness  of  School  Going  Children,  especially  under  the  aegis  of School Health Programme under Ayushman Bharat.

(c):      As per UDISE+ 2019-20, a total of 61214 transgender children are enrolled in schools, of which 5813 and 4798 transgender children are enrolled in Class 10 and Class 12 respectively.

(d): Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing Samagra Shiksha which is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school  to  class  XII  and  aims  to  ensure  inclusive  and  equitable  quality  education  at  all  levels  of school  education.  Samagra  Shiksha  reaches    out    to    girls,    and    children    belonging    to    SC,    ST, Minority  communities  and transgender.

Further, National Education Policy (NEP)  2020  also identifies transgender children as Socio-Economically  Disadvantaged  Groups  (SEDGs)  and  provides  for  equitable  quality  education, inter-alia, for all such students.  This includes provisions for assisting transgender children in gaining access  to  education,  support  for  community-based  interventions  that  address  local  context-specific barriers to transgender children's access to and participation in education, thereby aiming to eliminate any remaining disparity in access to education (including vocational education) for children from any gender or other SEDGs.

Additionally,  under  NISHTHA  (National  Initiative  for  School  Heads'  and  Teachers'  Holistic Advancement), a nation-wide integrated teacher training program for teachers under Samagra Shiksha, teachers are trained for relevance of Gender Dimensions in Teaching and Learning Process which helps teachers to use and adopt learning activities that foster gender sensitive classroom environment.

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