The Ministry of Education has been urged to consider installing sanitary towel dispensers in all public schools to ease access of the gadgets to the girls.
Nyeri Deputy Governor Dr Caroline Karugu said doing so will enable girl’s access the pads easily and continue with their studies without any interruption.
“I would like to call on the Ministry of Education to consider installing dispenser machines to all our public schools just like we have condom dispenser machines in government facilities,” Karugu said.
Speaking at DEB primary school in Nyeri town during celebrations to mark this year’s International Menstrual Day yesterday, the DG noted that this will be one way that the government can have a sustainable solution to the problem of girls missing classes during monthly periods. “The government should ensure sanitary towels are available in all washrooms used by girls to also ensure menstrual hygiene is upheld,” Karugu stressed.
The aim of the day is to de-stigmatize the ‘taboo’ of menstrual period for the young girls and encourage them that it is a stage in life and should be celebrated and not frowned about.
The 250 girls who received the towels were taken through the menstrual period hygiene and taught how to be women of substance and purpose.
Karugu added that several challenges have been encountered by girls like pregnancy when schools were closed for a long period after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “A number of them got pregnant and the excuse was that men lured them into sexual activities in order to get sanitary towels,” Karugu said.
By Mwangi Gaitha
