Educational institutes to form buddy groups to fight addiction

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 11

Deputy Commissioner Kamaldeep Singh Sangha has asked the educational institutes to form a buddy groups by August 13 as part of a programme to tackle drug abuse. The program shall be launched on August 15.

Presiding over a workshop, Assistant Commissioner Shivraj Singh Bal said, “As per the vision of the DC, every educational institute should have a buddy group from the sixth standard onwards and the group will comprise three to five students. Teachers will be the senior buddy whereas the heads of institutes will be the super buddy, who will oversee the activities at their institutes."

He added that the buddy group would devote 30-40 minutes every week as a crusade against drugs.

Psychiatrist Dr PD Garg said, “Buddy programme has been specially devised by experts of the STF in consultation with eminent psychiatrists. As per studies, children in adolescent age group as well as in the age group of 18-25 years reel under great peer pressure due to which this age group was a vulnerable groups.”

Master Trainer Sukhpal Singh talked about the advantages of the buddy group saying that it would discuss harmful effects of drugs from time to time and also identify the signs of drug use among peer group and encourages not indulging in drug abuse. He also stressed about KABP (knowledge, Attitude, Belief and Practice) strategy to curb the ill menace of drugs.

CMO Dr Hardeep Singh Ghai, Deputy Education Officers Rajesh Kumar and Rekha Mahajan and school heads were present.