Direct entry for transgender students, kin of martyrs in Rajasthan colleges

JAIPUR: The state higher education department has decided to give direct admissions to transgender students and dependants of martyrs in government and private colleges. The admission provision for both categories of students, irrespective of their Class XII scores, has been included in the new admission policy 2019-20.
“Both the transgender community and dependants of martyrs will get admissions in colleges even if they have scored just the passing mark,” said Pradeep Borad, director (college education), Rajasthan. The dependants of martyrs are defined as his children, siblings and wife.
The state has been giving 3% reservation to dependants of those employed by the Indian Army and paramilitary forces.
But the admission is based on merit and made separately for the armed forces category. The number of applicants applying under this category is quite high, especially in Shekhawati districts and Jaipur, so very few candidates make the final cut.
This year, the department has attempted to address the problem of skewed gross enrolment ratio (GER) of the transgender community too in higher education institutes against their projected population. “The direct admission intends to increase enrolments. Secondly, by encouraging them to take admissions under this category, the government will have some numbers/data which can help them to formulate policies and schemes,” said Puneet Sharma, an educationist.
The department has introduced several norms in the admission policy in 2019 to increase the GER. The state GER is 21.4% against the national average of 25%.
Keeping its poll promise, the government has introduced 5% reservation for special backward class which is expected to benefit marginalised communities. The 5% reservation will be included in the total number of seats. The department has created 10% additional seats to adjust the reservation quota to the non-reserved category.
“For the first time, the government has come up with an elaborate and clear policy on admissions under sports quota. Candidates who have represented the state nationally and in international platforms will get outright admission. They don’t have to be in the queue for admission,” said Borad. The department has listed 27 games, including those which are followed by elite schools such as American football. The state has 235 government colleges.