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

The initiative aims at training school staff to identify and mentor vulnerable kids before they can get addicted to substance abuse

The day-long online orientation programme for teachers, principals and staff of civic-run schools to provide information on the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, narcotic drugs, their side effects and measures to prevent drug addiction received mixed reviews.

The programme was organised on Tuesday by the Mumbai Police's 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 7,000 teachers, principals and non-teaching staff attended the orientation, with many praising the initiative. However, some felt that a single day of training wasn't enough.

"School 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 path," said Rajesh Kankal, Education Officer, BMC.

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According 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. "They were also provided information on various drugs, the side effects of consumption and what measures should be taken to prevent addiction," Kankal said.

A principal of a BMC school in south Mumbai said, "It 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 shouldn't be just one-day seminars."
A teacher from a school in the eastern suburbs praised the initiative saying it covered a very important issue. "We 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 trap," the teacher said, adding that such sessions should be conducted for private schools as well.

The 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. "It was DCP Jadhav who suggested that we hold such training sessions. We are very serious about this initiative," said Kankal.

According to a DCP-level officer, the police are running anti-drug 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. "We are razing paan-beedi shops that are in a 100-meter radius of schools, colleges and hospital areas. Smoking at these places is banned. We have directed all police stations to take action," 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 minors.

Appreciating 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. "I'm 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 drugs," he said, adding that these sessions are incredibly successful because there is direct communication with the students.

Dr DeSouza also stressed that ICSE schools should mandatorily conduct these sessions for students. "Just like we conduct sessions in sex education, we need to have sessions on drug addiction and sensitisation in schools," he said.

7,000
No. of people at orientation