Kerala Govt To Grant ‘Menstrual Leave’ To Female Students In All State Universities

While every female menstruates for a considerable amount of time in her lifetime, each one of them has a different experience of their biological cycle. While some can have comfortable and less painful periods, there are also others who can’t move a limb on the days of their menstrual cycle.

The physical and emotional discomfort caused by periods also makes it very difficult for females to do their usual chores. Hence, celebrities like Twinkle Khanna, Sonam Kapoor, and others spoke in favour of women getting period leaves.

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Taking cognizance of it, the Kerala government has finally given a nod to grant menstrual leave for female students studying in all state universities under the Department of Higher Education.

According to a report by India Today, Higher Education Minister Dr. R Bindu was inspired by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) that provided menstrual leave to its students.

The Kerala government has now decided to implement the same in all state universities. “Taking into consideration the mental and physical difficulties faced by female students during menstruation, necessary steps will be taken to implement menstrual leave in all universities,” Dr. R Bindu wrote in a Facebook post.

ആർത്തവകാലം പലർക്കും വൈകാരിക വേലിയേറ്റങ്ങളുടെ കാലമാണ്‌. ദേഷ്യവും സങ്കടവുമൊക്കെ വന്നുകേറുന്ന…

Posted by Dr. R. Bindu on Monday, January 16, 2023

The minister further said, “It is most gratifying to see the success of the student leadership and the university leadership working together to create a befitting continuation of the ongoing women empowerment activities initiated by the Department of Higher Education.”

Establishing that females go through a lot of emotional and physical turbulence during their periods, she said, “Let the girls rest during the difficult days of the menstrual cycle.”

The Indian Express reports that as per university norms, students should have at least 75 percent attendance in each semester to sit for the exams. However, with menstrual leave, female students must have a minimum 73 percent of attendance.

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Reacting to this decision, CUSAT Syndicate member Dr. Poornima Narayanan said, “This is a much-needed gesture from the university towards the female students. In the future, the academic world has to think about introducing menstrual leave for girl students.”

This is such a welcome move. Hope every sector adopts this practice and allows women the freedom to take leaves on the days of their period.

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