'No More Welcome Ladies And Gentlemen': Mumbai Schools To Embrace Inclusivity, Adopt Gender-Neutral Uniforms & Language

The Birla Open Minds International School has made an attempt to embrace inclusivity by discontinuing gender-neutral terms at meetings and parties on the campus. The school in Walkeshwar and its branches across the country have decided to replace gender-sensitive terms like 'Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen' with 'Hello Everyone' and 'Dear Visitors.'

The Aditya Birla World Academy is also in the race to disregard gender stereotypes in its upcoming academic year. The school is set to provide gender-neutral uniforms to its student regardless of their gender. The students can now choose between skorts or trousers as their school uniform, the Times of India reported.

The AWBA's pastoral care coordinator, Anchal Jain, said, "We thought it would be the right time to introduce it as a step toward emphasizing comfort and freedom of expression since June is Pride Month, and also when students order their new uniforms."

Lessons On LGBTQIA+ In Classrooms

A school in Tardeo, which made a remarkable stride last year by constituting the Rainbow Club, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization led by the students and the teachers' body, also formulated a blueprint for introducing LGBTQIA+ activism and history in the classroom.

Rainbow Club's Initiative

The Rainbow Club has guided the idea of breaking gender-based stereotypes and has been talking to students about different forms of pleasures, terminologies, same-sex families, etc., to normalize the queer group experiences. Many schools are now considering queer support group as a crucial part of the teaching and learning experience. Classrooms have the potential to become a versatile space for students to get educated on certain sensitive topics.

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