Cabinet approval has been received to implement the program to provide sanitary napkins to schoolgirls in the year 2026.
Under this program, this program is to be implemented to cover all adult female students from grade 6 and above in all government schools and government-aided special schools. Nearly 1.05 million female students are to benefit under this program.
Female students will receive vouchers worth 1440 rupees annually for sanitary napkins, which are to be given in the form of two vouchers of 720 rupees each. Female students will be able to use these vouchers to purchase the sanitary napkins they need.
There, 12 packets of 8 sanitary napkins at Rs. 120 each or 08 packets of 10 sanitary napkins at Rs. 180 each can be purchased in one year.
This proposal, submitted by the Honorable Prime Minister, who is the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, has been submitted to the Cabinet with the aim of ensuring the continued education of schoolgirls.
The provision of free sanitary napkins to schoolgirls was first brought to the fore by the current Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa during the 2019 Presidential Election. Later, during the administration of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda Rajapaksa tried to implement this proposal as Prime Minister, but it could not be implemented due to the prevailing political instability. Later, in 2024, the then President Ranil Wickremesinghe began implementing these projects, but due to his defeat in the presidential election, he was unable to implement them.