Faridkot admn tells schools to inspect shops for drugs

The Faridkot administration has told 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 has 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 issued by the District Education Officer (DEO) on Wednesday, each school is required to form a team, including at least 10 students from Classes 9 to 12, who, under the supervision of a nodal officer, are expected to inspect shops in the vicinity of their school.

The nodal officer has to be selected from among schoolteachers. The DEO issued the order citing a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner on April 3, where the directions in this regard were given.

However, several teachers said the issue comes under the jurisdiction of law-enforcement agencies

A teacher said the DEO had earlier instructed schools to submit names of 10 students and the nodal officer for the inspections.

After receiving no response, the DEO on Wednesday sent a follow-up letter reiterating the importance of compliance and warning schools of strict action if the required lists were not submitted promptly.

As part of the efforts to curb the drug menace, schools were also instructed to stay vigilant within their premises and report any signs of drug use among students and refer such cases to government de-addiction centres for treatment, said Faridkot DEO Neelam.

“While the intent behind the move is to strengthen community vigilance against drugs, the involvement of schoolchildren in shop inspections has raised questions about the appropriateness of the move and safety of students,” said Prem Chawla, adviser to the Punjab Government School Teachers’ Union.