EARTH NEWS SERVICE Jammu, Nov 26 |15:
today launched the campaign for ‘Tobacco Free Educational Institutions in J&K’ here at Shri Maharaja Ranbir Higher Secondary School (SMRHSS). Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said teaching fraternity has a key role play in checking fast spreading menace of addiction and drug abuse in the society. Making his point, the Minister said around the world it has been made mandatory to have statuary warning on cigarette covers and now it has become a part of general wisdom that tobacco is not good for health. “Besides being loaded with many health hazards it burns a hole in the pocket of the person addicted to it,” he said. He however regretted that while awareness has been created about the ill effects of tobacco, but the young minds are still vulnerable not just to smoking but also to other agents of addiction. “But I think best role in checking this menace can be played by the teachers and educational institutions,” he said. The campaign has been pioneered by J&K Voluntary Health Association – an NGO working for making the schools free from tobacco by strict implementation of statuary laws prohibiting sale and smoking within 100 yards of educational institutes and other prohibiting provisions. The NGO representatives also gave a power point presentation on the steps to be taken to realize the goal of having Tobacco free schools. Director School Education, Jammu Smita Sethi, Chief Education Officers of Jammu region, principals of city schools and representatives of NGOs attended the launching programme. “A teacher has to act as a role model in many ways for the children so is the case for parents. If a teacher or father smokes and he asks his child not to smoke it becomes a very difficult preposition. He loses his moral authority to ask students not to smoke. They have to set examples and standards and lead from the front,” the Minister elaborated. He cited the example of Mahatma Gandhi, when he took a fortnight to advice a child of his disciple to stop excessive intake of sugar on the latter’s request. “It was because Gandhi ji had to himself give up the same habit first”, he added. “That is the role of the teacher. We have to go with this message to tell the teachers not to smoke. If this pledge goes out from here it will leave greater impact in the society,” he added.
