Teacher: Girls learn more about menstruation in school

MANY girls in Papua New Guinea first learn about menstruations in school instead of at home, Lae Christ the King Primary School head teacher Celestine Kiminja says.
“I have been teaching for the past 30 years and the topic of menstruation often surprises schoolgirls,” she said.
“That is because the topic is regarded as taboo by society and even mothers do not talk to their daughters about it.
“Sometimes, when the girls see their first ‘flow’ in school, they get emotional and cry because they do not know what is happening to them.”
Kiminja said teachers had to teach students, including schoolboys, about their reproductive system so that they understood about growing up.
“However, it is tough getting the students to understand the importance of this topic because it is not being stressed at home,” she said.
“There is a great need for home education on such topics to normalise what are normal phases in life.
“Our students come from backgrounds where this is not discussed openly, so when boys see blood stain, they will make fun of it and girls miss classes to avoid situations like this.
“Recently, we arranged with a local charity organisation who donated high quality washable menstrual pads to schoolgirls in upper primary.
“We then seized the opportunity to talk to them about periods and the menstrual cycle.”
Volunteer Bernadette Raoma, who led the talk, explained that the reusable pads last three years and would ensure that all girls had a pad so they need not miss a day of class.
“A single pad outside of Lae sells for K2 each which is so expensive and many cannot afford it,” she said.