WBCHSE to remove prefixes for names of candidates

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has decided to do away with prefixes, including master or miss for candidates applying for class XI admission from 2023-24, promoting gender neutrality. The Council also introduced the third gender option in registration forms last year.

A senior WBCHSE official said that till last year the candidates had to choose these prefixes while enrolling. Last year, the Council included a third-gender category for registration in state higher secondary courses. According to the official, with the inclusion of the third-gender category, the WBCHSE has decided to do away with the prefixes which force a candidate to choose within binary gender conformity.

Last year, around 550 students enrolled in the third gender category during registration for the higher secondary course in the state. It was also the first time that the registration was done online with three options in gender. Earlier, the two options only included male or female.

Around 482 students from humanities chose the third gender as an option and less than 100 students from science and commerce. The positive step by the WBCHSE was reflected in the reaction of the students applying. Many educators applauded the step by the council as a first step towards creating gender sensitivity in schools.