Pubdate: Sun, 14 Oct 2007
Source: Khaleej Times (UAE)
Copyright: 2007 Khaleej Times
Contact:  http://khaleejtimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/996
Author: Preeti Kannan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

DRUGS: SCHOOLS, PARENTS HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO

DUBAI -- The arrest of 17 school students in Dubai for  allegedly 
smoking hashish three years ago had sent  shock waves through 
schools, parents and students.  Heads of schools and parents then 
observed that education, awareness and collective 
responsibility  would help weed out the problem. While 
several  international schools have been addressing the issue  and 
parents are openly discussing the topic at home,  many feel there is 
still a long way to go.

Some institutions like Jumeirah College and Greenfield  Community 
School have incorporated social health as  part of their curriculum. 
"We have a personal social  health education programme. The lecture 
held for an  hour every week," says head of Jumeirah College, 
Christopher Short.

"While we do not have a specific drugs programme in the  Science 
curriculum, we do talk to the older students on  the dangers of 
addiction and abuse," Short adds.

He says it is imperative that students are aware of the  ill-effects 
of drug abuse. "Students would be exposed  to drugs when they go 
abroad and we should prepare them  to face reality," Short stresses.

Principal of The Winchester School, Dubai, Raminder Vig  says since 
the impact of drugs on children is immense,  the problem should be 
nipped in the bud. "There is more  awareness in the UAE and the law 
is stringent on such  offences. In the US, children sometimes steal 
money to  buy drugs and this affects the family also in the 
long  term," he says.

While schoolchildren here have a good level of  awareness about the 
menace, Vig says: "Children should  be encouraged to hold conferences 
on the dangers of use  and abuse of drugs as that will have a greater 
impact  on their peers." The school has invited a specialist  from 
the UK to talk to the children on the social  skills. The school 
hopes the students will get the  message through the session.

Some parents consider it as an integral part of  familial bonding to 
discuss issues like drugs with  their kids openly, instead of 
avoiding the topic.  Parent Geethanjali Kanagaratnam feels while 
awareness exists thanks to the life skills programmes in schools  and 
on television, she says "parents should not treat  the subject as a taboo".

Recalling an incident that happened a few years back,  she says, :My 
daughter had a friend who used to take  drugs and alcohol. She knew 
about it all along and one  day, the boy died of overdose. She was 
really shocked  when it happened and that sort of nailed the point we 
were trying to make." Geethanjali believes parents  should take the 
first step to bridge the gap with their  children and talk to them 
before its too late.

Natasha Kulkarni and her husband share their teenage  experiences 
with their adolescent son to keep him in  sync with reality.

She feels that many Indian schools do not have an  active counselling 
system equipped to deal with  adolescent issues unlike their 
international  counterparts.

For instance, Grade X Indian student Sudakshina  Shivkumar says she 
doesn't have enough information on  drugs as her school never 
discusses the subject. "I  know I should not take drugs but I would 
like to know  more about it. Schools must talk to us about the issues 
based on the ground reality," she says.

While many Indian schools have campaigns against  smoking, drugs are 
usually an untouched subject, feel  parents and children.

Darryl Bloud, principal of Dubai Modern High School,  concedes that 
his school does not have any programmes  addressing the problem of 
drugs, but says they would  take up the issue in the future. "These 
are real issues  which our kids will face when they leave schools. We 
definitely should engage our parents who work in  hospitals and ask 
them to talk to our kids. More  schools should create programmes for 
students," he  asserts.

The Department of Social and Psychological  Welfare Programmes of the 
Ministry of Education, in  fact, has its counsellors and social 
workers who  conduct preventive awareness programmes regularly in 
government schools. Ahmed Al Khayyat, director of the  department, 
says that in case they do come across  students addicted to smoking 
or drugs, which is usually  rare and negligible, the counsellors 
intervene and  ensure that they counsel and help kids overcome the problem.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman