Substance abuse or drug addiction has become a serious threat to our society. More alarming is the spread of the habit amongst the young generation. The unscrupulous drug mafia is behind this and it knows very well that if a person gets addicted to drugs, he finds it difficult to overcome the habit. The drug mafia had identified school and college campuses as the most fertile grounds for flourishing their business. So, they lure the innocent youth by offering them freebies first.
Father of the Nation Gandhiji had dreamt of an India free from the curse of drinks and drugs. However it is yet to be a reality. How can we keep mum when drugs destroy the lives of tomorrow's citizens? Besides imparting knowledge to the students sitting in front of us, we can also play a great role in inculcating good values of life in our students as Abraham Lincoln, the former President of America, had remarked in his poem 'A Nice Citizen.'
Dear friends, it's time to wake up! The higher secondary teachers of Kerala can play a vital role in preventing their children from slipping into the dangerous zone of substance abuse by arranging awareness campaigns in the classroom itself. As part of the Anti-Drugs Day function on June 26, our school exhibited short films, documentaries and recited poems in the classroom against drug addiction with the help of the Excise Department staff. The programme was named "Let's Start from Classroom". Posters were designed by a group of students giving strong messages.
More excitingly at the end of the programme the students themselves came forward and designed a pledge which was taken by the whole classes in which they strongly stated that they wouldn't ever become a drug addict. Such activities involving students can definitely create in them the importance of becoming responsible citizens. As a teacher it was one of the proudest moments in my life as I could actively engage the whole students in it. I hope the teaching community can devise new methods in the coming days to prevent children from entering the world of drugs.
(The author is English teacher at S.N Trust H.S.S, Chathannoor, Kollam)
