Communication as an Obstacle for Education: An Analysis on Participation of Hijras in Mainstream Education System of Bangladesh

Abstract

Hijra is a term given to the intersex, hermaphrodite and, transgender people who are part of the Hijra community in Bangladesh. In 2013 Bangladesh government gave the official recognition of Hijras as a third gender community. But the society still thing Hijras are aliens they are not supposed to live in society and have a life. Though Hijras have official recognition of their sexual identity they are far away to get social recognition. Education is a basic need for every single person in the world, and education is the best medium of communication to construct the social identity of a person. According to Bangladesh, education policy education is for all. Hijras are also included in the term ‘all.’ Though they have all the right of being a citizen of the people republic of Bangladesh, we never seen a Hijra in school, college, or any other educational institution. Using a qualitative analysis, this study will focus on why Hijras are not participating in the mainstream education system of Bangladesh though they have official recognition as a third gender community. This paper will also focus on the role of society in making this decimation in the education system.