CHENNAI: The School Education Department has ordered all schools across the state to provide free biodegradable, compostable sanitary pads through vending machines and set up dedicated Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) corners.
The guidelines are issued in compliance with the Supreme Court’s rulings in Dr. Jaya Thakur vs Union of India & Others and the National Menstrual Hygiene Policy, which aims to ensure adolescent girl students no longer miss classes due to lack of basic hygiene facilities.
Under the order, institutions must dispense free, biocompatible napkins directly through vending machines installed inside girls’ toilets. Where automated machines cannot be installed, a designated school authority must ensure seamless, stigma-free supply.
The directive places heavy emphasis on barrier-free physical infrastructure. Schools are required to maintain functional, gender-segregated restrooms equipped with running water, soap, and handwashing setups at all times.
Restrooms, both existing structures and upcoming civil works, must ensure complete privacy and full accessibility for Children with Special Needs (CwSN). Every toilet stall must house a covered waste bin, with waste managed strictly under the Solid Waste Management Rules.
Campuses currently operating without dedicated sanitation workers must make immediate interim arrangements, it stated.
Significantly, all male and female teachers shall be sensitised to menstrual hygiene, puberty and related health issues. Awareness programmes covering puberty, hygiene, and reproductive conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and PCOD must be conducted in a manner that helps break the stigma and promote dignity, privacy and informed menstrual health practice.
The chief education officers in all districts have been directed to take immediate and necessary action in the matter to ensure effective menstrual hygiene management in every school.
