After SC pad-up order, city schools relive 20-year hygiene journey

Kolkata: A nearly two-decade-long push to make schools safer and more comfortable for girls during menstruation is gaining renewed attention in Bengal, as the state education department prepares to review menstrual hygiene facilities in government-run schools following the Supreme Court order on Friday.Officials said menstrual hygiene was being treated as an integral part of overall cleanliness and health practices in state schools, with a focus on access to sanitary products, safe disposal systems, and awareness programmes for students and parents. "Several schools already have vending machines and dispensers in girls' toilets. Since it is a part of health and hygiene, several awareness programmes are also organised across schools to make students aware of these issues, and in many cases parents are also part of the awareness programmes," a school education department official said.
A senior department official said the state would take stock of existing arrangements and address shortcomings. "We already did many things in this regard, but we will review the matter shortly following the Supreme Court order, and if we find any gaps, we will do the needful," the official said.The origins of the campaign in parts of the state trace back to a tragedy in South 24 Parganas. In 2007, Krishnachandrapur High School headmaster Chandan Maiti recalled how the death of a 13-year-old student, allegedly linked to unhygienic menstrual practices, became a turning point for the school and surrounding communities. "We took it very seriously and started installing vending machines with the help of the Rotary Club of Salt Lake Central and the Jute Corporation of India, and using school funds as well," Maiti said.He said the school also sought to remove the stigma around seeking sanitary products. "We took an oath that no girl child will die due to this reason and started installing vending machines," he said. Maiti added that the initiative extended beyond the campus into remote villages to sensitise families. The school now has multiple vending machines across the campus and three hostels.Other schools in Kolkata reported similar systems. Santoshpur Rishi Aurobindo Balika Vidyapith headmistress Sarbani Sen said vending machines were installed on every floor, with dedicated disposal arrangements. "There is a special bin in every toilet for their needs, and one teacher is assigned to look after all these things," she said.Most CISCE- and CBSE-affiliated schools said they already implemented menstrual hygiene measures. St Augustine's Day School principal Rodney Borneo welcomed the court's direction, saying his school used an automatic dispenser system for two years. Students access pads privately through a token-based mechanism, and disposal is supported by an incinerator in the girls' infirmary.La Martiniere School for Girls principal Rupkatha Sarkar said the order reinforces a long-standing need. She said the school provides sanitary napkins free of cost through its infirmary, even without vending machines. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan principal Arun Kumar Dasgupta said vending machines and disposal systems were installed two years ago, and the school also expanded health education.