The Principal of Ntlatseng combined school at Rulaganyang township out Wolmaranstad, Lerato Kola on Monday, said the donation of sanitary towels to her school is a great relief that came at the right time when the parents could not afford to buy sanitary towels to more than 200 young girls.
“We are so grateful to receive sanitary towels from the authorities. We are so blessed. This is a form of motivation to learners, teachers and the school governing body. This will even encourage learners to work hard throughout the year,” Kola said to the loud applause of teachers and learners.
On Tuesday, North West MEC for Social Development Boitumelo Moiloa, handed over sanitary towels to 100 female learners.
“The provision of zero-rated sanitary pads would go a long way in restoring the dignity of needy learners who without the necessary support, are at risk of absenting themselves from school,” Moiloa said.
Moiloa who was hailed as the first MEC for visit the school vowed to provide needy learners with school uniform.
Boitumelo Mokoto, a Grade 11 learner at the school said, many female learners come from needy family. At times, Mokoto said, her fellow learners are forced to used old rags and newspaper as sanitary towels due to poverty.
“It is painful when a fellow learners asks for a pad and you fail to give it to her. We pray that the MEC should come again to our school. No MEC has ever visited our school. Today is a great day for us,” Mokoto said.
Government’s provision of sanitary towels to female learners follows the pronouncement made by Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni during his Medium Term Budget presentation that sanitary pads would from 1 April 2019 be added to zero-rated items to enable female learners to access the sanitary pads with ease.
Sanitary pads, bread flour and cake flour are the items that have been would be zero-rated. Zero-rated means that all the input cost added along the production chain of items will be eliminated for the consumer.
Moiloa is scheduled to handover sanitary towels to female learners in needy schools including TVET colleges.
ENDS.
For Enquiries: Call Departmental Spokesperson – Petrus Siko
Tel : (018) 388 1426
Cell: 083 647 0668
Email : psiko@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by Department of Social Development
