All schools and colleges in England have made period products available for free to their pupils.
According to the Department for Education (DfE), the availability of period products will help break the stigma surrounding menstruation and will decrease the number of pupils who miss out on lessons due to their periods.
The new scheme will allow schools and colleges to offer a range of products, including eco-friendly options, so that they are available when students need them.
Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, said to ITV: “We know that some girls miss school because they don’t have period products, and that they have had to use items like toilet roll and socks because they can’t afford anything else.”
Campaigners in the UK had been raising the issue of period poverty and had been calling for the government to take action.
Children and families minister Michelle Donelan said to ITV: “This scheme will deal with those problems so young people can go about their daily lives without getting caught out if they have come on their period unexpectedly, forgotten to bring products with them or if they can’t afford the products they need.”
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