Cops, Social Group Meet School Administrators on Drug Menace

 Hyderabad: Hyderabad police commissioner Kothakota Sreenivasa Reddy said that drug-laced chocolates were being trafficked to rural schools as well, and advised school managements to play an active role in stymieing it.

"Usage of drugs is on a rise and it is a huge problem to tackle. The saturation of drugs into serene educational establishments is not just limited to urban spaces, drug-laced chocolates are found at schools in rural areas too," Sreenivasa Rao said at a collaborative meeting with school administrators on the increasing presence of drugs in schools and ways to tackle substance abuse by students

The event was organised by Hyderabad police and Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) on Sunday in which thousands of school administrators from across the city took part at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at Jubilee Hills.

"The problem of drugs is here to stay, and we, as custodians of our people, must nip it in the bud. Drug money goes to the hands of terrorists, fuelling their financial needs to commit criminal activities. It is directly proportional to affecting global currencies and it disrupts the social fabric of our world," he said.

He advised schools to play an active role in conducting surveillance in and around their premises. "Schools should monitor student behaviour, and provide prompt and confidential counselling and support to those who need it. Schools should also form anti-drug committees, comprising teachers and students," he said.

Cyberabad police commissioner Avinash Mohanty said addiction can be solved at school level, as peers, families, and friends all come together.

Rachakonda police commissioner Tarun Joshi called for increased awareness of narcotics. "We are not just talking about the problem of tackling drugs, but also saving an entire generation which is getting impacted by this," he said.

Blaming the lack of communication between parents and their wards, he said: "There is hardly any personal touch between children and parents. The parents are not aware of what their child is doing, and neither does the child know what the parents are doing. There is, also, a communication gap between students and teachers. As their guardians, we must support them; it is a shared responsibility on all of us."

Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau director Sandeep Shandilya said: "Parents are not there for their kids, and they give them money to compensate for their love. They hand them mobile phones and pockets full of money, and ask 'Why is our kid getting spoiled?' Children need our help and support."

He requested parents and teachers not to pressurise kids about grades. "Children are under constant scrutiny over marks and comparisons. And it results in the child resorting to substances for happiness. Don't put your child through a rat race," he said.

Education department principal secretary B. Venkatesham, Telangana school education commissioner and director A. Sridevasena, HCSC adviser A. Bharani and HCSC anti-narcotics forum joint secretary K.G.S.S. Srikanth were among those present.