By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, May 28 (IANSlife): Bollywood actress Bhumi Padnekar has lent her support to Whispers initiative, ‘Mobileshaala, which aims to provide free education as schools across the country remain closed due to the pandemic. Whisper is one of India's leading names in Feminine Care and menstrual hygiene products.

School closures due to government mandated lockdown could lead to an increased drop-out rate, disproportionately affecting adolescent girls. While the closing down schools temporarily might help contain the virus, it could result in permanent damage to the future of many -- especially marginalised girls. These girls are now even more vulnerable to dropping out of school in the absence of a structured education.

"Mobileshaala" is an extension of the #KeepGirlsInSchool campaign by Whisper. The phone-based learning system gives free access to curriculum-based education modules on key subjects like English, Science and menstrual hygiene education.

Talking about "Mobileshaala", Bollywood actress Bhumi Padnekar said: "I whole-heartedly believe that nothing should get in the way of a girl's education. That's why Whisper's ambition to #KeepGirlsInSchool even when they are at home with the 'Mobileshaala' initiative is very personal for me. My parents always made sure education was my number one priority while growing up and I hope we can do the same for the young girls of our country during these trying times. I would like to make a strong appeal to everyone to spread the word and share it with the ones who could benefit from it."

Education is a critical component for empowerment. It is startling that In India when girls hit puberty, one out of five girls start missing school, which leads to her eventually dropping out.

Chetna Soni, Category Leader - Feminine Care, P&G Indian sub-continent: "Lack of menstrual hygiene education is a key reason for girls to start dropping out of school when they hit puberty. We have been able to make a significant impact on-ground to #KeepGirlsInSchool helping 50 lakh girls in early 2020. Today, these girls face a major challenge as the schools have shut down across the country due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This has disrupted the structured learning process across India and can lead to higher dropout rates especially for girls. Being a brand that has always supported girls, we have supercharged our #KeepGirlsInSchool mission with 'Mobileshaala', to enable uninterrupted learning for girls, even during these challenging times."