PRAYAGRAJ, Dec. 25 -- In a landmark decision, the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has approved changes in its 124-year-old system to allow correction of gender details in academic certificates following gender transition. For the first time since its establishment in 1921, the Board has begun issuing revised certificates with updated names and genders to candidates who have undergone gender change, confirmed officials.UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh approved the reform in compliance with Supreme Court directions. On November 28, instructions were issued to all regional offices, additional secretaries and district inspectors of schools to implement the new system. The Board has also directed educational institutions to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for transgender students and employees, preventing any form of discrimination or harassment, Singh shared. Following the change, a student from Lucknow, who passed the UP Board High School examination in 2013 and Intermediate examination in 2015 as a girl, later underwent gender transition and became a boy. After completing all legal and administrative formalities, the student requested the Board to issue revised Class 10 and 12 certificates with the updated name and gender. Acting on the request, the UP Board recently issued the revised certificates nearly 12 years after High School and 10 years after Intermediate. In another instance, the Bareilly regional office of the UP Board recently issued a revised certificate to a woman who transitioned to male. Earlier, the regional office had refused to make the correction. The applicant then approached the High Court under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. The court quashed the Board's earlier decision and directed it to make necessary corrections in the petitioner's educational records and issue fresh certificates. Earlier, applications seeking certificate corrections on the basis of gender change were routinely rejected due to the absence of clear provisions. In 2017, a similar request by a Lucknow candidate who had transitioned from male to female was denied by Board officials. As per the existing legal process, a gender change certificate is issued by the district magistrate after medical examination by a duly constituted medical board. On the basis of this certificate, changes can be made not only in UP Board records but also in other official documents such as Aadhaar and PAN. The move is being seen as a significant step towards recognising transgender rights and aligning the education system with constitutional and judicial mandates....