Dhaka, Nov 7: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Bangladesh, a madrasa has opened in Dhaka meant for members of the transgender community, the media reported.

In the report on Friday, bdnews24 said that over 100 students of any age can study in the Dawatul Quran Third Gender Madrasa, situated on a 1,200 square-feet second floor of a three-storey building at the Lohar Bridge Dhal in Kamrangirchar.

At the inauguration on Friday, 40 transgender persons were enrolled.

In 2013, the Bangladesh government passed a policy recognising the members of the transgender community as of the "third gender".

The Election Commission allowed the registration of the transgender people as "third gender" voters the following year.

Community members have also contested elections.

The madrasa authorities have also planned to launch a separate department of technical education for the transgender people.

Welcoming the initiative, a transgender person, Niki, told bdnews24: "I left home when I was five or six years old. I've stepped into a madrasa again after so many years. It's a moment of immense joy for me."

There are up to 1.5 million transgender people in Bangladesh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 07, 2020 02:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).