CBSE students will now get a chapter on evils of smoking

Delhi govt's health director proposes chapter on evils of smoking in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and state board syllabus from Std VI to XII; Maharashtra doctors welcome move

Students may now learn of tobacco control right in school as the Central Board of Secondary Education and the state education department may include a chapter on it in the school curriculum from Std VI to XII. Dr. SK Arora, Additional Director Health of Delhi government and former head of Delhi State Tobacco Control Cell, has proposed this idea in a letter to the President of India who has forwarded it for consultation to the department concerned.

A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report stated that 14.6 per cent of the youth in India (in the age group of 13-15 years) consume tobacco. Also, 36.6 per cent of youth are exposed to passive smoking in public places, and 21.9 per cent at home. This makes it crucial for the youth to know about the effects of tobacco. Dr. Arora thus came up with the idea of including a chapter on tobacco awareness in the CBSE and state board syllabus.

"Tobacco and Vape Industry is bringing new products in pen and flash drive-like shapes to target the youth and enable hiding these devices from teachers and parents. We thus need to counter their strategy by educating our students, teachers and parents," he said.

Maharashtra alone sees almost 11,000 cases of mouth cancer diagnosed every year, according to data provided by the Tata Memorial Centre. Doctors have thus welcomed Dr. Arora's move.

Smoking has become a fashion among youth, especially in the cities, said Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Head-Neck Cancer Surgeon and deputy director at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, adding, "If they are taught about the side effects of tobacco at an early age, it would help stay away. In the past ten years, the number of youths falling prey to cancer has only gone up. This would definitely be a good move if the government approves it."

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