First transgender school in Pakistan and second in Asia

Pakistan is all set to open a school for the education and vocational training of the transgender community from April 15 in Lahore. 

The school, named ‘The Gender Guardian’, has been built by an NGO named ‘Exploring Future Foundation’ offers a full 12 years of academic education from the primary level to matriculation, leading up to college.

The school would be the first transgender school in Pakistan and the second in Asia.

Besides academic courses, Dawn reported that the school will also offer crash courses in subjects such as fashion designing, beautician courses, graphic designing, computer and mobile repairing, and other technical courses.

According to sources, Asif Shahzad, the school’s founder, said that after the Lahore branch's opening, two more such schools will be established in Islamabad and Karachi.

More than 40 aspiring students from the transgender community have already registered to be the first batch of the school, the management told. The staff comprises of 15 faculty members, three of whom themselves are from the transgender community.

The school will be inaugurated at an opening ceremony at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore's Alhamra Hall, which is expected to be attended by several personalities from the showbiz industry.

This article has been originally published in Dawn