PU okays fee waiver for transgender pupils

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, January 20 

Panjab University (PU) is all set to waive tuition and examination fee of transgender students. However, there is a rider that they can’t participate in “protests or dharnas”. 

The full fee waiver will be allowed for the 2018-19 session also. The final call on this will be taken during the PU Syndicate meeting on January 27. 

A committee comprising Dean University Instruction Prof Shankarji Jha, Dean Students Welfare Prof Emanuel Nahar, DSW (Women) Prof Neena Caplash, Finance and Development Officer Vikram Nayyar and the first transgender student of the PU, Dhananjay Chauhan, had finalised the guidelines related to fee waiver during a meeting on December 19 last year. 

According to the guidelines, Aadhaar card, voter-ID card, passport, driving licence, PAN card, ration card or pass book mentioning that the candidate is from transgender category will have to be produced. “The student should not involve in criminal cases, ragging or any other misconduct/violation of the University Rules. Moreover, they should not be involved in any dharnas or protests,” said the guidelines.

The minimum attendance percentage expected is 75.

Students residing with their parents or separately need to be submit a duly attested affidavit that the candidate is not getting any fellowship or scholarship or concession from any source and the total family income from all sources must not exceed Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. 

As per rules, the full fee concession will be continued in the subsequent years only if the student passes the examination in the first attempt. The department chairpersons will have to recommend the application for fee waiver.  There are five transgender students on the PU campus.