Now, de-addiction lessons in schools

BANGALORE: The Education Department will be including lessons about de-addiction in its textbooks starting from the academic 2012-13, Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, announced on Monday.Speaking at the World Anti-Drug Day programme here, Kageri said, “We are planning about the de-addiction lessons, but we still need to finalise whether to include it at primary or higher secondary level. In addition, we would be expanding the number of health clubs to about 14,000 high schools across the state.” At present, there are about 1,000 health clubs in high schools where doctors and experts come and address the students in order to create awareness about drug addiction.‘50 lakh students drug addicts’Sachidanand Hegde, President, Karnataka State Temperance Board said, “Every year about 15-20 lakh people get addicted to alcohol and about 50 lakh high school students pick up drug addiction.In the name of new year celebration on December 31 the Konkan Railways introduces three special trains to Goa, wherein people go just for alcohol.” Drug abuse has been one of the main reasons leading to increase in the number of AIDS cases in the State, asserted DGP Dr D V Guruprasad.“Drug abuse has been a major problem of our society.It is the educators and teachers who can create awareness,” he said.Dr Pratima Murthy, Professor of Psychiatry and HOD, De-addiction Centre, NIMHANS, too voiced a similar opinion.She said, “Out of 100 people in the state, around 50 of them consume tobacco and they start consuming it at a tender age of about 10-15 years. The problem is equally grave with women in the rural districts.” Actress Pooja Gandhi, the brand ambassador for Karnataka State Aids Prevention Society (KSAPS), gave a call to the students to change for better.