In a significant step to strengthen its fight against drug abuse and to promote mental wellbeing of the students, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government began an extensive teachers’ awareness and capacity-building programme across 12 districts under its flagship anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’, this past week.
The objective of the initiative is to equip more than 21,850 teachers with the capacity and practical skills needed to identify early signs of mental health concerns and drug abuse among students and to intervene in time. The drive was kicked off in Fazilka and Tarn Taran on Monday, where over 800 teachers participated in the workshops last week.
The programme follows from the success of sensitisation programmes of the government in schools. Earlier in January this year, a training programme was carried out for Principals and Headmasters of Senior Secondary and High Schools across nine districts. The training focused on border districts of the state which are especially vulnerable to the menace of substance use.
Further, a pilot teacher training programme was conducted in Amritsar, in which more than 2,800 teachers participated. Over 75% of participants reported feeling inspired to contribute toward creating a healthier school environment. Based on the successes of these initiatives, the Bhagwant Mann government has now launched a phased expansion of the training module starting with Fazilka, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot, Mohali, Ropar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana and Patiala.
On this, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said, “Every child who slips into the darkness of drugs is a child we could have reached earlier. Our teachers spend more time with our children than most; they notice the silences, the absences, the changes no one else sees. The training module is so designed that the teachers have a better idea of adolescent issues, their mental health and emotional wellbeing.