Free sanitary pads in govt schools a game-changer for girls

› The need for such an initiative has been felt since long because many girls had been skipping classes. VISHESH, officiating principal of government school at Kussu Wala

BATHINDA: A 17-year-old student of government senior secondary school for girls in Bathinda feels she has been empowered; now, she need not skip her classes during the menstrual cycle. From this year, the Punjab government rolled out a project under which adolescent girl students of all government schools are provided free sanitary pads.

Until April, she had been using a synthetic cloth as a pad as her parents were not sensitised about the importance of menstrual hygiene.

“In May we were given sanitary pads by school administration. It made for a sea change in my life as now I feel confident during my period. After my experience, I educated my mother about pads,” said the class 12 student.

A teenaged student from another government school said she had explained the benefits of pads to her siblings and friends, too. “Regular lessons on personal hygiene at school are really helpful to us. Peer groups can freely talk about biological changes that occur in adolescence. Our teacher also addressed our queries on many personal subjects,” she added. According to state programme coordinator, Surekha Thakur, there are nearly 6.45 lakh girls enrolled in classes 6-12 in the 6,171 government schools across the state.

“The beneficiaries are given a packet comprising of six sanitary pads per month without charges. A specialised private agency has been hired for distribution. The initiative began in March this year and schools are provided with a stock for three months,” she said. The second round of distribution of pads is expected to be completed next week.

Vishesh, the officiating principal of government school at Kussu Wala in Ferozepur district said the scheme will not only boost the girls’ confidence but also improve attendance rate. The need for such a facility has been felt since a long time because almost every girl had been skipping classes on certain dates every month.

“Discussing menstruation is a social taboo, particularly in rural areas. This project is a massive health booster for rural girl students who were resorting to using unhygienic material such as paper and synthetic cloth and the repeated use of same cloth for the next period,” he said.

Sukhpreet Kular, a faculty member who is engaged in the personal hygiene programme in Bathinda, said the school also provides the health supplements including iron and folic acid.