The spurt in rural school-dropout rates among girls once they hit puberty is proving to be quite the worry for the government. Noting that the rise could be linked to the lack of separate toilets and other facilities needed by adolescent girls in such schools, the rural development ministry has asked the states to upscale the school sanitation and health hygiene (SSHHE) programme under its total sanitation campaign.

In a letter to all the state secretaries of the sanitation department, JS Mathur, joint secretary, department of drinking water, rural development ministry has asked states to comply with following points under SSHE.

• Provision of separate toilets for girls and boys in all co-educational schools. The toilets must have dustbins for safe disposal of sanitary napkins.

• Setting up of sanitary napkin production units and napkin vending machines in girls and co-educational schools for easy availability of sanitary napkins in the school premises itself

• Setting up incinerators for safe disposal of sanitary napkins

• Menstrual hygiene education activities may be undertaken in coordination with the school health programme of ministry of health and family welfare and ministry of women and child development.

“You are requested to work in coordination with the ministry of health and family welfare and ministry of women and child development at the state level to undertake the above mentioned activities and upscale the SSHE programme to ensure that sanitation needs of adolescent girls are adequately addressed,” wrote the joint secretary to the states secretaries, sanitation on June 9.

The rural development ministry’s directive to upscale its SSHE programme comes after the economic survey for 2009-10 revealed the falling the gross enrolment ratio of girl between 11 to 14 years. The survey indicates that while the GER of girls between classes I-IV (6-11 years) is 108, it fell to 69.6 between class VI-VIII (11-14 years).

However, the states that have made procurement of sanitary napkins in schools easy, the GER of girls between the class IV and class VII have seen lower decline. One example is Tamil Nadu where the GER of girls has fallen from 117 (girls between classes I-IV) to just 108 (girls between classes VI-VIII). The state has made special efforts ensure that girls and women are able to procure sanitary pads at a unit cost of Rs 1 and production facilities for such pads are available in widespread manner through self help groups.