On Menstrual Hygiene, students of Apeejay School International ask : I care, do You?

Where there is a will, there is a way! This old saying has been proven right by Prisha Jain, Lavanya Sharma, Rishit Sharma and Ansh Bansal, Class-XI students of Apeejay School International (ASI)-South Delhi.

Even the fear of coronavirus cannot stop them from flying high and doing something for the community.

At the time when students are forced to sit inside the house and opt only for online classes, these four students of International Board (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) chose to step out for two months for a community project on menstrual hygiene.

“I care, do you?”, these four students asked. The project was based on creating awareness among the less privileged strata of the society about the feminine hygiene.

With the defined learning outcomes including engagement with issues of global significance, demonstrating and recognizing the benefits of working collaboratively, students were able to investigate, prepare, demonstrate and execute the project seamlessly. 

They worked together tirelessly in preparing the awareness campaign posters, skits and were even successful in collecting Rs 5000 approx. through donation drive, which was used to buy sanitary napkins and disinfectants, helping the underprivileged to upgrade their well-being.

As per their findings, only one in every three girls in India completes school education age- appropriately. About 23 million girls in India drop out of school after they begin menstruating due to the lack of sanitary napkins and hygiene awareness.

These four students started visiting the slum areas in South Delhi to identify these girls and educate them along with their family members.

Spending more than two months in understanding the situation, spreading information and empowering the underprivileged girls, the students believe that this CAS (Creativity, activity, service) project on Menstrual Hygiene is just the first step towards a bigger challenge.

 “Lack of reproductive education leaves 71% of girls unaware of what takes place in their bodies during menstruation.

We have educated them that lack of menstrual hygiene can cause fungal infection, UTIs and other reproductive tract infection. They were also informed that the unhygienic practices also leave women vulnerable to infertility, Students said.

It is worth mentioning that the students are exposed to this way of learning through the IB Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum comprising the DP core and six subject groups.

Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

“CAS Projects provide opportunities to students for self-determination and collaboration with others, fostering a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their work, hence helping them become life-long learners,” Purushottam Dutt Vashist, Principal, Apeejay School International (ASI) said.

The three core elements include Theory of knowledge, in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know, The extended essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper and CAS (Creativity, activity, service)  in which students complete a project related to these three concepts.

CAS is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP).

Experienced throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies. CAS Programme at Apeejay School International, South Delhi is designed keeping these key elements and compliments Apeejay Education’s strong focus on Value Based Education. 

About Apeejay School International:

Ideally located at a prime location in South Delhi, Apeejay School International is slated to be Delhi’s first and only IB Continuum School with state of the art infrastructure, centrally air-conditioned building and excellent sporting facilities.

The school’s philosophy is focussed on delivering high quality, internationally acclaimed curriculum centered on academic rigour and all round development of the child in all dimensions, physical, mental and spiritual, within local and global contexts using innovative pedagogical approaches.