Insert ‘drug use prevention’ in school syllabus, MSF urges Student body takes demand to SCERT office

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jun 29: Demanding incorporation of ‘drug use prevention education’ in the school syllabus and publication of textbooks on the same subject, volunteers of Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF) marched to the SCERT office at Lamphelpat today and staged a protest demonstration at the office.
Holding placards and shouting slogans, the students marched into the office complex.
The MSF’s slogans demanded publication of textbooks on drug use prevention education, incorporation of drug use prevention education in the syllabi from standard V to XII and incorporation of core life skills prescribed by the WHO in school syllabi.
Speaking to the media, MSF president Hijam Roshan said that certain elements have been scheming to wipe out Manipur by making a large number of youth addicted to intoxicating drugs.
The issue of drug abuse and drug trafficking has put Manipur in a very alarming situation. With more and more youth becoming addicted to drugs, many of them have lost a sense of responsibility to the community and the Nation, Roshan said.
“After the introduction of NEP 2020, the SCERT is preparing a curriculum framework and we are demanding a syllabus on drug use prevention education under the same framework”, he said.    
The MSF president said that they will be constrained to amplify and intensify their agitation if the Government and the authorities concerned do not pay heed to their appeal.
If Manipur must be protected, the youths should be saved first from the jaws of drugs, he said.
In spite of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985, the volume of drug trafficking and the scale of drug abuse have been rising at an astronomical rate, Roshan said.
He said that the most valuable resource of any State or Nation is its youth/students.
The MSF asserted that educating students on drug use prevention will go a long way in addressing the issue of drug menace and in saving Manipur. He urged the State Government and the Government of India to bring out a curriculum framework on drug use prevention education for students from standard V to standard XII.