Gearing up for launching massive peer support/ counseling group in school and colleges of the district in form Buddy program to tackle drug abuse, the Deputy Commissioner Jalandhar Mr. Varinder Kumar Sharma and Commissioner of Police Mr. Praveen Kumar Sinha today asked all the educational institutes to form the buddy group in their respective institutes by August 13.Presiding over a meeting here at District Administrative complex today, the Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner of Police said that every educational institute would have a buddy group from the sixth standard onwards and the group would comprise three to five students. They said that the class teachers would be senior buddy whereas the Principals of institute would be the Super buddy, who would oversee all the activities in their institute. Likewise, they said that a nodal officer of educational institute would act as a bridge between the administration and the institute. They said that buddy group would devote 30-40 minutes every week as a crusade against drugs.Both the officers said that the teachers must be emphatic and rational towards students while implementing the program. They said that the buddy group would be psychologically very strong so that they could convince their fellow students about the hazardous effects of drugs. They said that training program for nodal officers, senior buddies and super buddies would be organized very shortly.
Both the officers said that Buddy Program was specially devised by experts of STF in consultation with eminent Psychiatrists. They said that as per studies children in adolescent age group as well as in the age group of 18-25 years reel under great peer pressure due to which this age group was a vulnerable groups.
They emphasized that the Buddy program would lay thrust on students, as part of which a group of three to five students of same section/batch was formed, who monitor, motivate and hold moral responsibility for each other and encourage mutual safety and empowerment.They said that Buddy group would discuss harmful effects of drugs from time to time and also identifies signs of drug use among peer group and encourages not indulging in drug abuse. They also stressed about KABP (knowledge, Attitude, Belief and Practice) strategy to curb the ill menace of drugs. They also exhorted the teachers to implement this drive against drug abuse with missionary zeal.Both the officers also asked the teachers regarding strategies to be adopted by professors and teachers, so as to motivate their students to remain away from drugs. They also advocated that consistent and focused awareness campaigns were more useful in comparison to short duration campaigns.Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr. Jitendra Jorwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr. Sachin Gupta, Sub Divisional Magistrate Mr. Paramveer Singh, Ms. Navneet Kaur Bal, Mr. Rajiv Verma, Mr. Sanjiv Sharma and Mr. Varinder Pal Singh Bajwa, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr. Balwinder Iqbal Singh Kahlon, Assistant Commissioner (Under Training) Mr. Himanshu Jain, Medical Superintendent Dr. KS Bawa, District Education Officers Mr. Rampal Saini and Mr. Satnam Singh besides the teachers of various schools and colleges of the district.