Two days menstrual leave and Saturday holiday for ITI students in Kerala!

The Kerala government has a significant policy decision: two menstrual leaves a month for ITI girls. This is likely to support women who go through skill-training programs often considered to be physically stressful, such as traditionally labour-intensive trades.

According to General Education Minister V Sivankutty, "In today's era, women are active in every field, including some of the most physically demanding skill-training trades." Over 100 ITIs in Kerala will be covered under this policy, which is likely to benefit a huge number of female students.¹

This decision follows the Kerala Higher Education Department's move last year, which granted menstrual leave to all state university women students falling under its administration. The government has also declared all Saturdays holidays for ITI students with revised shift times that will not affect the training schedule.

The new shift timings will be 7:30 am to 3:00 pm for the first shift and 10:00 am to 5:30 pm for the second shift. However, Saturdays are declared as holidays, but on Saturdays, students can join short-term courses or extracurricular activities if they wish.

This is a great policy for women in education and promoting gender equality. It acknowledges the menstrual cycle that women experience, which may hinder their learning during this period, and therefore, they do not miss out on educational opportunities.

This will be the first move by an Indian government, which may pave the way for others. This will not only bring benefits to female students but will also provide a supportive educational environment to the greater public.

Also read: Cyclone Fengal: Highest rainfall in Puducherry in 30 years; kills 2!