Each schoolgirl will receive three injections over a course of six months.
There will also be a catch-up campaign to cover those up to the age of 18 from autumn 2009.
The vaccine is to prevent the sexually transmitted infection human papillomavirus (HPV); about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases are as a result of the HPV infection. BBC News reports that about 80 percent of women who are sexually active can expect to contract HPV infection at some point in their lives.
Each year, cervical cancer kills some 270,000 women across the world. In the UK, over 1,000 women die annually as a result of the disease; the vaccine is expected to save 400 lives.
Parents will get a say as to whether they want their child vaccinated. It is likely to be given at schools.
Currently, two pharmaceutical companies manufacture the vaccine - Merck and Sanofi Pasteur's Gardasil which has been approved in 76 countries and Cervarix made by GlaxoSmithKline which was recently launched in the UK. No decision has been taken as to which will be used for the program.
The vaccine does not protect against all HPV types that may cause cervical cancer and therefore smear testing will have to continue even after the vaccine is introduced.
Other European countries to approve the program include Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Luxembourg and Belgium.
