The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has emphasised the need for communities across the country to create an environment where menstruation is understood, accepted, and supported in order to help girls thrive.
He made this appeal during the commemoration of the 2025 Menstrual Hygiene Day at the Ashaiman Cluster of Schools.
Dr Apaak firmly stated that every girl has the right to remain in school during her menstrual period.
The Builsa South MP explained that menstrual health and hygiene education should be an essential component of health education.
“I wish to emphasise that the onset of menstruation is a landmark feature of female puberty and signals reproductive maturity. Anxiety, fear, confusion, and even depression are frequently reported experiences at menarche.
“Menstrual health and hygiene education is, therefore, a vital aspect of health education. It is known that attitudes toward menstruation, as well as menstrual hygiene management and practices developed at menarche, may persist throughout life,” Dr Apaak stated.
According to him, this results in many girls growing up with low self-esteem and being disempowered from achieving high educational attainment.
“This should not be the case. Every girl has the right to stay in school during her period. Every woman has the right to manage her menstruation with safety, privacy, and confidence. Every community has the responsibility to create an environment where menstruation is understood, accepted, and supported so that girls can thrive,” he added.
Dr Apaak also noted that fathers, male teachers, boys, and men need to be educated on issues surrounding menstruation to enable them to play an advocacy role in supporting women and girls during their periods.
“I wish to reiterate that activities related to menstrual health and hygiene in schools are very dear to the heart of His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama. He has initiated and launched the Free Sanitary Pads Distribution Programme for Basic and Senior High Schools across Ghana, in line with his manifesto promise. The distribution of sanitary pads will be accompanied by education to make the initiative more comprehensive,” he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
