Government schools in district to be made tobacco-free zones

As per the instructions received from State Council of Educational Research and Training, (SCERT) Punjab, District Education Officer Elementary Education Kanwaljit Singh led a district-level training of all block nodal officers and block elementary education officers of Amritsar at Government Senior Secondary School, Rambagh.

District Nodal Officer (Secondary Education) Sukhpal Singh Sandhu said SCERT, in collaboration with NCERT Delhi, had organised a one-day workshop for all education officers, district nodal officers and DIET (District Institutes of Educational Training) principals of Punjab in Chandigarh previously and instructions were given to conduct a district-level workshop.

Under the same, a one-day workshop was conducted at Government Senior Secondary School, Rambagh, to make educational institutions tobacco-free zones. Gurdev Singh, Block Elementary Education Officer Amritsar-1 cum District Nodal Officer (Elementary Education) trained all the block nodal officers and block elementary officers to create awareness through activities against the use of tobacco in this workshop.

The officers, who participated in the workshop for the first time were administered an oath by Sukhchain Singh to make their efforts to make all the schools of their blocks free from tobacco.

DEO, elementary, Kanwaljit Singh said, “It is a social need that we all contribute to ending this tobacco-dependency that has spread like a disease, as holy city is very sacred and such harmful products must be avoided and shunned from our lives.” He said that one nodal officer will be appointed at the block level and school level to create awareness in this regard, poster making competitions, poetry, song competitions etc will be organised in every school and awareness slogans will also be written on the walls of the school. He asked all the schools to upload the school activities on the government website by October 31.