Punjab govt seeks help from parents and teachers to devise strategy

LAHORE: The ministerial committee for devising strategy to keep the educational institutions free of drugs held its second meeting at the directorate of staff development here on Friday.

Provincial minister for schools education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan and higher education minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani co-chaired the meeting.  Syed Raza Ali Gillani observed that parents, teachers, Ulema, media men and civil society should come forward to play their collective role in the eradication of drugs from society. 

Rana Mashhood, who is also the convener of the committee, said that focal persons should be appointed by the educational institutions, and their list be sent to the government.

Besides them, regional director anti-narcotics force Brig Khalid Mahmood Goraya and representatives of schools education, higher education, social welfare, excise & taxation and police departments attended the meeting. The meeting pondered over the agenda of keeping the campuses free of narcotics in detail. It observed that narcotics are injurious to health and youths must be provided healthy and congenial atmosphere to study.

According to a handout, higher education minister Raza Gillani informed that public sector universities’ vice-chancellors have already been instructed to devise their standard operating procedures and follow government’s directions with regard to curbing the menace of drugs. He said that medical equipment should also be provided to identify the students affected with drugs.

All the higher education institutions in the province, including public, private or belonging to the federal government, would abide by the government’s instructions so that their students could remain safe from drugs. No one is above the law and immediate action would be taken against the delinquent, he warned. He observed that parents, teachers, Ulema, media men and civil society should come forward to play their collective role in the eradication of drugs from society.