Govt schools to deliver sanitary pads to girl students at residences

Government schools will start delivering sanitary pads to residences of girl students in classes 6 to 12, two months after the state decided to provide sanitary

Government schools will start delivering sanitary pads to residences of girl students in classes 6 to 12, two months after the state decided to provide sanitary pads to female students on a monthly basis.

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In a letter addressed to the district education officers (DEOs) on Thursday, the directorate of school education asked schools to make arrangements for the delivery of sanitary pads to students who have not been visiting school due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The department will be supplying sanitary pads along with the monthly midday meal ration. During the pandemic, midday meals are being delivered to students at their homes. “Midday meal ration for December will be distributed among students. While doing so, sanitary pads should also be delivered to students,” stated the directive issued by the department.

While schools across the state have reopened for physical classroom sessions for students in classes 10 and 12, sessions for students in classes 9 and 11 will start from December 21.

Suman Sharma, the principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 4/7, said that the school had procured supplies for two months and would start the disbursal from Friday. “We have collected the supplies and will ask teachers to start the delivery process from tomorrow. We have already distributed midday meals for this month, so separate visits will be made from tomorrow onwards,” said Sharma.

She said that teachers would be visiting the houses of girls to deliver the supplies, comprising two packs each, on a monthly basis.

Sharma said that the school will try to rope in female teachers for the job so that students can be sensitised about menstrual hygiene. “Since stigma is attached to menstrual hygiene, we will try to involve more female teachers for the distribution process so that parents or students are not hesitant in accepting the supplies,” said Sharma.