Mumbai: Anti-drug initiative for civic schools gets mixed response

The daylong online orientation programme for teachers principals and staff of civicrun schools to provide information on the Narcotic Drugs amp Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act 1985 narcotic drugs their side effects and measures to prevent drug addiction received mixed reviewsThe programme was organised on Tuesday by the Mumbai Polices Anti Narcotics Cell ANC and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC to help civic school teachers mentor their students and raise awareness about drug addiction Around 7000 teachers principals and nonteaching staff attended the orientation with many praising the initiative However some felt that a single day of training wasnt enoughldquoSchool staff and teachers can play a powerful role in preventing underage alcohol and drug consumption or even addiction among students Educators can identify students at risk and work closely with them and their families to prevent them from going down a harmful pathrdquo said Rajesh Kankal Education Officer BMCAlso Read Midday gets sixyearold admisson to schoolAccording to Kankal ANC officials and experts shared important pointers on mentoring and sensitising students about the issue These included tips on how to identify if a student has got addicted ldquoThey were also provided information on various drugs the side effects of consumption and what measures should be taken to prevent addictionrdquo Kankal saidA principal of a BMC school in south Mumbai said ldquoIt was a very good session very informative and detailed However these are sensitive issues and one cannot be trained in just one day I really hope they conduct such workshops in smaller groups in person and not online and these shouldnt be just oneday seminarsrdquoA teacher from a school in the eastern suburbs praised the initiative saying it covered a very important issue ldquoWe learned many important things However I feel private school students who have the money and resources are more likely to fall into the drug addiction traprdquo the teacher said adding that such sessions should be conducted for private schools as wellThe orientation session was also attended by Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar BMC Joint Commissioner Education Ajit Kumhar and Deputy Commissioner of Police ANC Prakash Jadhav ldquoIt was DCP Jadhav who suggested that we hold such training sessions We are very serious about this initiativerdquo said KankalAccording to a DCPlevel officer the police are running antidrug campaigns and taking strict action against those selling or consuming drugs Action is also being taken against people smoking cigarettes in public places with fines being levied ldquoWe are razing paanbeedi shops that are in a 100meter radius of schools colleges and hospital areas Smoking at these places is banned We have directed all police stations to take actionrdquo he said However he denied having any knowledge of action taken against shops that are not close to such establishments but may be selling to minorsAppreciating the initiative Dr Avinash DeSouza consultant psychiatrist and founder director of the DeSouza Foundation said he frequently holds similar educational sessions against drug abuse for school students ldquoIm sure a session will soon be organised for students as well Smoking and vaping are becoming prevalent among youngsters Often we discover that friends are the ones who introduce them to drug use We discuss the negative consequences of such addictions and how they may impact their bodies and affect their brain We also create awareness on new types of drugsrdquo he said adding that these sessions are incredibly successful because there is direct communication with the studentsDr DeSouza also stressed that ICSE schools should mandatorily conduct these sessions for students ldquoJust like we conduct sessions in sex education we need to have sessions on drug addiction and sensitisation in schoolsrdquo he said7000No of people at orientation