GCU to give admissions to transgender students

Government College University (GCU) Lahore has taken a unique move by offering admissions for students of the transgender community, the sources confirmed.

Recognizing the presence and right to education of the transgender community in the country, GCU Lahore would open admissions to the transgender community for the first time in the history of the university, informed sources.

Transgender students will be given admission in various disciplines of the university. According to reports, GCU Lahore has allotted individual seats for transgender students in its bachelor’s programs to help and give access to the underprivileged community to Higher education.

GCU Lahore Vice-Chancellor Dr Asghar Zaidi told express media that universities are promoters for change and GCU will serve as a benchmark for other institutes in the society, where transgender students would be accepted as lawyers, doctors, engineers, bureaucrats and politicians. “We need to educate and reform our society to a stage where parents accept and love their transgender children and bring them up with similar efforts and attention they give to their cisgender sons and daughters,”

Zaidi further stated, “I believe an increase in the access to higher education for transgender students was a prerequisite for this change.”

He stressed on the importance of unique in schools and other higher education institutions for the underprivileged community. “I express gratitude to the university’s chancellor and academic council members for supporting this decision of allocating special seats for transgender students,” added Zaidi.