Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) is observed annually on 28 May. The 2025 MHD is themed: “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld”, urging collective action to ensure that menstruation does not limit access to education, health or opportunity. Basic Education Deputy Minister, Dr Reginah Mhaule, attended a Government-led Education Indaba on Menstrual Health and Sanitary Dignity at the Capital on the Park Hotel, Sandton, on 30 May 2025. The Indaba aims to mobilise resources and obtain firm holistic commitments from all partners to support menstrual dignity.

Gender inequality, cultural taboos and poverty can cause menstrual health needs to go unmet, resulting in period poverty and affecting school attendance. This compromises the dignity and safety of learners, causing mental and emotional stress and anxiety. Menstrual health and hygiene interventions can help overcome these obstacles, building confidence and strengthening sexual and reproductive health, particularly amongst adolescents. Sister Departments include the Departments of Social Development; Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD); Health; and National Treasury. Partners such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); UNESCO; UNICEF; Days for Girls International; Equal Education Law Centre; the Baithudi Mampane Foundation; the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ); and Lil-Lets also supported the programme.

Deputy Minister Mhaule said that, “research indicates that girls miss multiple days of school due to inadequate access to menstrual products and facilities. The problem is compounded by a lack of waste management, Water Supply Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and pain management in cases of period pains. This challenge disproportionately affects learners from low-income households and rural communities, further entrenching educational inequalities. This initiative responds directly to the resolution from the recent Portfolio Committee Briefings regarding Menstrual Health and Sanitary Dignity in South African schools, which mandated the DBE to coordinate a national dialogue aimed at mobilising government-wide co-resourcing towards achieving universal access to menstrual health and sanitary dignity for girls”.

Mr Likho Bottoman, Director for Social Cohesion and Equity in Education, explained that the DBE has integrated menstrual health education into the curriculum and developed infrastructure guidelines for appropriate sanitation facilities. These include strengthening curriculum content on menstrual health and hygiene management; developing standardised infrastructure requirements for WASH facilities in schools; establishing monitoring systems to track absenteeism related to menstruation; coordinating research on the impact of menstrual health interventions on educational outcomes; and developing teacher training modules and sensitisation for boys on supporting menstrual health in schools. In addition, two sets of complementary guidelines have been developed to provide strategic direction and sector guidance on these matters. These include WASH in Schools Guidelines as well as Guidelines for Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools.

Positive work is being done through inter-sectoral collaborations with all nine provinces implementing: five provinces through the DBE, whilst four provinces are working through the DSD. Beneficiaries are girl learners from Quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools, including farm and special schools. The DWYPD coordinates and leads this work, whilst the programme is being funded by National Treasury through an equitable share allocation. The Indaba aims to establish a comprehensive multi-departmental strategy for achieving universal access to menstrual products and facilities by 2035; identify and commit specific departmental resources, technical expertise and programmatic support to advance menstrual health and sanitary dignity; foster public-private partnerships to enhance resource availability and capacity; and implement a monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress. The Indaba will feed into the existing Multi-Departmental Task Team on Menstrual Health and Sanitary Dignity, chaired by the DWYPD.