NORTHEAST: Female students at Gauhati University and its affiliate colleges will be entitled to take menstrual leave from now on.

The Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University has allowed a relaxation of 2 percent for female students as ‘menstrual leave’ in minimum class attendance for all departments of Gauhati University, as well as for the affiliated colleges, an official notification from the university said.

It will come into immediate effect.

It comes after directives sent out by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Women and Child Development earlier this year.

With the leave provisions that are eligible for women students, a minimum class attendance of 73 percent will be needed to sit in the semester examinations.

Menstrual health is an integral part of the health and well-being of a person and is a determinant of the quality of life, which includes things like mobility, work participation, access to education dignity, and freedom.

This policy by Gauhati University will help in recognizing and addressing the unique challenges faced by female students during their menstrual cycles.

Established in 1948, Gauhati University is one of the premier institutions of higher education in the northeast India region and one of the most sought-after postgraduate institutions.