Punjab to launch ‘evidence-based' anti-drug school curriculum in govt schools on August 1
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Bains said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal would launch the statewide curriculum at Arniwala in the border district of Fazilka on August 1.
Bains said the drug prevention programme would have a wide reach, covering 3,658 schools and engaging over 6,500 trained teachers to empower approximately eight lakh students from Classes IX to XII to ensure a significant impact on Punjab's education system, equipping students with essential skills to say 'no to substance abuse'.
'The curriculum consists of 35-minute sessions, to be held every fortnight for 27 weeks, featuring a mix of engaging content, including documentaries, quizzes, posters and interactive activities. These sessions will focus on key areas such as myth-busting, refusal strategies and resisting peer pressure, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions,' Bains said.
The minister said, 'The initiative is grounded in evidence, developed with leading behavioural scientists, and evaluated through randomised trials conducted in 78 government schools in Amritsar and Tarn Taran during 2024-25.'
'These trials covered 9,600 students and, evaluated by J-PAL South Asia, yielded significant results. The trials demonstrated a marked improvement in addiction risk awareness, with 90 per cent of students recognising the high risk of addiction from trying 'chitta' even once, compared to 69 per cent in the control group. Additionally, the trial successfully debunked myths about addiction, with the belief that addiction can be overcome by willpower alone dropping from 50 per cent to 20 per cent,' said Bains.
Noting that Punjab's drug crisis is a result of 'decades of systemic neglect and patronisation of previous regimes,' Bains said, 'Punjab becomes the first state in India to implement a statewide, evidence-based drug prevention curriculum, while recognising that the battle against drugs begins from the classroom, not in police stations.'
He said the state government has taken stringent actions, including putting over 23,000 drug peddlers behind bars, seizing their properties, and confiscating over 1,000 kg of heroin.
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