As a great initiative to gender inclusivity, some of the government schools in Karnataka will have teachers from the transgender community. The Department of Public Instruction has called for applications of primary school teachers, with one per cent reservation for transgenders, In December 2021, after the Finance department gave its approval, the Department of Public Instruction went ahead with the process to recruit 15,000 teachers for Classes 6 to 8, of whom 5,000 will be reserved for the Kalyan Karnataka region.
Applicants should be graduates with a score of 50 per cent and hold a Diploma in Teaching for two years. The notification also said there are different categories to avail of quota, including Schedule Caste/Scheduled Tribe, Rural Quota, Physically Challenged, Women, and the newly introduced one per cent quota for transgenders. It may be noted that in July 2021, the government amended the Karnataka Civil Service (General Recruitment) Rule, 1977.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh said that the government has introduced a one per cent quota to give an opportunity for transgenders in all departments. “We have called for the recruitment of teachers, with reservation for transgenders. This is a significant step and we are hoping this will help the community join the mainstream,’’ he said. He said people should cooperate with the government initiative, and stressed the need to sensitise people in rural and other places if transgenders are recruited. If there are no candidates for this quota, the posts will be merged with the general category.
In December 2021, the Karnataka police decided to include transgenders in the force. A notification was issued by the recruitment and training department, inviting eligible men, women and transgenders to apply for 70 posts of reserve sub-inspector (RSI) rank.
A transgender activist Akkai Padmashali said the state government has not carried out a survey on the transgender community in Karnataka, and there is no data. “When there is no data on their education or socio-economic status, how can such a notification help them? As per the notification, there are 150 posts for transgenders and we don’t know if there are so many eligible people when it comes to education. The government should stress on their education,’’ she said.
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