Can peer group monitors help stem the tide of drug and alcohol abuse in schools? In an effort to tackle the menace, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) is planning to ask school managements to set up peer groups that can monitor and report instances of students indulging in drugs and alcohol on campus, and even help them.
Following multiple requests from parents to address this issue, Kripa Amar Alva, chairperson, KSCPCR, called for a meeting with stakeholders. The commission wants to strengthen these peer groups on the lines of the NCC and the NSS. “If a student has experimented with drugs, cigarettes or alcohol, they will find it difficult to confide in their teachers and counsellors. These peer group members can help students get the assistance they need so that they are not addicted to it,” she said.
The commission recently convened a meeting with all stakeholders, including Education Department officials, Narcotics Control Bureau and the Karnataka State Drugs Control Department, and public health experts. Vishal Rao, public health expert who was also part of the meeting, said the peer group monitors could act as whistleblowers and also anonymously call KSCPCR. “We have noticed that it is often youngsters, particularly those below the age of 18, who fall prey to drugs and cigarettes. So we want school managements to play a more proactive role in this regard,” he added.
The commission has also asked the Drugs Control Department to strengthen its monitoring mechanism and maintain an online database for more efficient monitoring. Besides that, they have also been asked to keep track of online sales of e-cigarettes. “The monitoring mechanism is lax and there is a need for the drugs controller to keep a list of frequently used drugs that could lead to substance abuse by youngsters. Medical stores should be asked to keep a copy of prescriptions of drugs that cannot be sold over the counter,” Dr. Rao said.
