Faridkot admn scales down order on drug inspection by schools
The Faridkot administration on Friday watered down its order directing senior secondary schools to task students with inspecting shops for the possible sale of drugs in their vicinity and limited their involvement to peer monitoring on school premises only.
The move came following the criticism of the April 9, which was issued by the District Education Officer, citing a direction in this regard by the Deputy Commissioner during a meeting on April 3.
Safety concerns
The Faridkot administration had on April 9 asked government senior secondary schools in the district to constitute teams, including students, to inspect shops around their institutes for the possible sale of drugs
The move triggered concern among teachers, who said this might jeopardise the safety of students, and also result in confrontation with shopkeepers
The move had triggered concern among teachers, who said this might jeopardise the safety of students, and also result in confrontation with shopkeepers. The district has 85 government senior secondary schools.
According to the order, each school was required to form a team, including at least 10 students from Classes 9 to 12, who under the supervision of a nodal officer were expected to inspect shops in the vicinity of their school.
DEO Neelam Rani on Friday issued a new letter to all school heads and clarified that students will now only be responsible for observing their peers for behavioral changes that may indicate drug use.
Suspected cases are to be reported to teachers, who will ensure that the affected students receive treatment at district de-addiction centers, the fresh order said.
