KOCHI: Not a day passes by without discussion on feminism and women’s empowerment, yet sexism often rears its ugly head and menstruation remains a taboo. And when you come to know the practice of giving period leave to girl students during final exams at a school in Tripunithura was there more than a century ago to reduce their stress and avoid dropout, you realise society has not come forward much.
Tripunithura Girls High School had granted menstrual leave for students in the year 1912, according to the book Kerala in the 19th Century, written by P Bhaskaranunni and published by the Kerala Sahitya Academy in 1988. After many students took leave during exam time due to menstruation, the then headmaster V P Vishwanatha Iyer brought the issue to the school inspector’s notice. Five days later, leave was granted to the students. It reportedly brought down the number of dropouts in the school as students could write the annual exam later.
Current headmistress Shaju Lopus gets several enquiries about the practice the school once followed, but she said there are no records left there to substantiate it.
“The rule might’ve been followed when the royal dynasty ruled the place, but with the passage of time, it became a lore,” said Lopus. She noted currently they do not follow the system, but only the state government’s instructions.
But if the authorities concerned plan to make it a rule, then most teachers would support the move, especially during exams for higher secondary students, according to Anitha M, who works at a government school in Kochi.