LAHORE: A vocational training centre has been started in Model Town for transgender persons, aiming to make them eligible for jobs with decent salaries so that they can live a dignified life. At least 40 transgender persons between the ages of 18 and 45 are presently enrolled in the centre and say they want to start with learning English to confidently communicate with people. The centre has been started by a non-government organisation in a branch of the Allied Schools, situated in Q-Block of the neighbourhood. Classes will be held twice a week – on Saturdays and Sundays -when the school will be off for routine classes. Speaking at a TV programme on Monday, an official of the NGO, Asif Shehzad, said students would be enrolled in four-month-long courses on embroidery, graphic designing, and cooking. Besides vocational training, the transgender persons would also be taught some basic subjects. The establishment of the centre is part of wide-ranging efforts by state and non-state actors to mainstream the transgender community of the country and to end systemic discrimination against them. On March 7, the Senate had unanimously approved a bill for the protection of transgender persons. The bill was submitted by Senator Karim Ahmed Khawaja in the House, aiming to provide for protection, relief and rehabilitation of rights of the transgender persons and ensure their welfare. In the same month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government issued driving licences to two transgender persons. In 2012, the National Database and Registration Authority started providing three options in the gender category in the registration form for computerised national identity cards: male, female, and transgender. Published in Daily Times, April 24th 2018.