Punjab: Special campaign against drug abuse to be launched in government schools

Punjab: Focusing on prevention, the school education department will launch a special campaign to raise awareness among students, teachers and parents about the dangers of drug abuse and promote a drug-free lifestyle. A mega parent-teacher meeting (PTM) will be held in all government schools across the state on October 18, which will be attended by students, parents and members of school management committees (SMCs). They will be shown audio-visual slides prepared by the police department on drug abuse.

In a letter written by school education department secretary Kamal Kishore Yadav to the director of the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and all district education officers (DEOs), schools have been asked to hold awareness programmes in the second and third week of October. The SCERT director has been designated as the state nodal officer to monitor the campaign. During this period, schools have been asked to organise various programmes and invite social activists and intellectuals to address students and tell them about drug abuse. The presentations and lectures will focus on the causes, effects and prevention strategies related to drug abuse. “Schools can play a vital role in informing and educating students about the ill-effects of drug abuse,” a senior police officer said.