By Ntombi Mhlongo
The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini is expected to decide whether to make sanitary pads tax-free or not. This was revealed by the Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza during a sitting at the House on Assembly in Parliament on Wednesday.
The minister was responding to an oral question calling for her to explain what her ministry is doing to analyse and come up with a sustainable plan to address the serious challenges affecting female pupils due to non or limited availability of sanitary pads especially in rural community schools due to scanty resources which sometimes force the girl child to miss classes for a week.
The question was posed by Siphocosini Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Matsebula.
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In her response, the minister first explained that in schools there are guidance officers who usually communicate with the ministry whenever there are needs affecting pupils. She said the ministry has a good relationship with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in dealing with menstrual health in schools.
“While the relationship with the UNFPA and other partners has worked for years, we have as a ministry discovered that there is more that needs to be done. As a result, we have forwarded a request to the Ministry of Finance that sanitary pads be non-taxable to ensure that they reach all female pupils, especially in the rural areas,” she said.
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After her response, MPs stood up to seek clarity, especially on whether it will be the pads provided for the schools by organisations will not be taxed or whether this will include all of them.
Also, the MPs asked to know why the government did not consider providing sanitary pads for free in all schools in the country. They made an example of condoms which they said were available in every corner.
The minister explained that currently, the government does not have a budget to provide pads in local schools. On the issue of the tax, she made it clear that the proposal is to the effect that it should be all of them. This, she said, will be done so that even orphaned and vulnerable children can access them.
