The Ministry of Education will expand its national sanitary napkin programme to cover all government schools from 2026, benefiting over one million schoolgirls above Grade 6, Prime Minister and Minister of Education Harini Amarasuriya announced.

The programme, launched in 2024 for rural and economically disadvantaged areas, will now be implemented islandwide with a government allocation of Rs. 1.44 billion.

Eligible students will receive an annual voucher worth Rs. 1,440 to purchase sanitary napkins through their schools.

Only products certified by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) will be supplied, while officials were instructed to ensure student choice, equitable distribution, and environmentally friendly disposal methods.