A concern has been raised that poor menstrual hygiene continues to force girls out of schools in Rukungiri district, with new research showing thousands of learning days are lost every term.
According to a recent study released by the Turinawe Ingrid Kamateneti Foundation, a non-governmental organisation focused on mental health and stigma in primary schools, out of the 80 days allocated to a school term, 29.7 per cent of adolescent girls miss a minimum of four days per menstrual cycle.
Ms Ingrid Turinawe, director of TIK Foundation, said poor menstrual hygiene remains one of the leading contributors to girl child school dropout and poor performance in the Kigezi sub-region. She was speaking Wednesday while donating 3,000 sanitary pads to 12 primary schools in Rukungiri Municipality.
‘Our findings show that during menstrual cycles girls are either absent from school or others drop out because of stigma. The menstrual cycle can occur anytime, it can be examination time or discussions on very important topics,’ Ms Turinawe said.
She noted the challenge is more severe in poor families and rural schools before calling on stakeholders across Rukungiri and the entire country to recognise menstrual health as a major barrier to girls’ education.
Teachers in the affected schools confirmed the impact on attendance and performance. Ms Constance Natukunda, a teacher at Rukondo Primary School, said they have long experienced poor performance among young girls because of stigma and absenteeism during menstrual cycles.
‘We pray that this programme is on forever because we have a challenge that girls are always absent during their menstrual cycle, they face stigma especially when unknowingly they get into this and are noticed by fellow learners and in such a situation most of them drop out,’ she said.
Ms Gorreti Nampamya, senior woman teacher at Kashozi Primary School, said adolescent girls often resort to using old pieces of cloth to pad themselves during menstrual periods, which sometimes causes embarrassment.
‘The embarrassment most of the adolescent girls face especially when the situation they are in is noticed by fellow learners forces some of them out of school,’ Ms Nampamya said.
Rukungiri District Chairperson, Charles Andrewson Katebire, said the challenge of menstrual hygiene needs strategic intervention to keep the girl child in school.
‘With reports from schools that menstrual hygiene is leading to school dropout, we need to come out and draw up a strategy of ensuring schools have enough sanitary pads but carry out sensitization to reduce stigma,’ Mr Katebire said.
The Rukungiri District Education Officer, Jackson Turyahumura, said his department has been distributing sanitary pads but efforts have not been sustainable due to limited resources.
‘We have been trying to give sanitary pads to schools but they are always not enough. We appeal to government and NGOs to look into this as a matter of great concern because it contributes to girl-child school dropouts,’ Mr Turyahumura said.
The issue of free sanitary pads for school girls has been debated nationally for years. In 2015 during a campaign rally at Alira Primary School in Alebtong district, President Yoweri Museveni promised every school-going girl would receive free sanitary pads in the 2017/2018 financial year, but the pledge has not been fulfilled to date.
Education stakeholders say without consistent access to sanitary pads and proper menstrual health education, many girls in Rukungiri will continue to miss school, lag behind academically, and risk dropping out entirely.