NEW DELHI: With one out of five girls in India dropping out of school due to lack of menstrual education and access to sanitary products, there is a need to include period education in schools, experts said Tuesday.
Keeping the drop-out rate of girls in mind, UNESCO New Delhi, in partnership with P&G Whisper, India, announced a partnership to champion menstrual health and hygiene management in India for #KeepGirlsinSchool initiative.
At the occasion, they launched five groundbreaking teaching-learning modules on five thematic areas which include disabilities, gender, teachers and educators, young adults, and nutrition, along with a comprehensive National Survey and Gap Analysis report on Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHHM) under the initiative #KeepGirlsinSchool.
The release of these teaching-learning modules will provide learners, educators, menstruators, and community leaders with indispensable resources and strategies for comprehensive understanding and skill development in managing menstruation, while driving awareness about its societal impact, according to a statement. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, was the chief guest for the launch, while the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is the advocacy partner.
“Our collaboration with P&G Whisper India is a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to menstrual health and hygiene management. Through this collaboration, our objective is to drive progress in menstrual health and hygiene management, ensuring equitable access to knowledge and resources for a healthier, more empowered future,” said Hezekiel Dlamini, Officer-in-Charge, UNESCO New Delhi Multisectoral Regional Office.
“1 out of 5 girls in India drop out of school due to lack of menstrual education and access to sanitary products. The chapter on period education has been missing from schools, families, and communities resulting in 71% of girls not knowing about periods when they first get it,” said Girish Kalyanaraman, Vice President and Category Leader, Feminine Care, Procter and Gamble India.
He added that they have been dedicated to period education, spreading awareness about menstrual hygiene, and distributing sanitary pads to girls across India.
“With this partnership with UNESCO, we are growing our efforts by co-creating and launching a first-of-its-kind period curriculum that can be used in schools and for training teachers and educationalists. Our objective is to ensure the chapter on periods is no longer missing,” he said.
“We aim to empower young girls to achieve their dreams by completing their school education without any gaps and to stop them from dropping out of school because of lack of knowledge of periods,” he added.