Pubdate: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 Source: The Daily Star (Bangladesh) Copyright: 2005 The Daily Star Contact: http://www.thedailystar.net Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3893 INVOLVE STUDENTS IN MORE EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Speakers say at Ctg discussion Speakers at a discussion in the port city yesterday urged the authorities of educational institutions to give the students more scopes of participating in different extracurricular activities to refrain them from being addicted to fatal drugs. Chittagong University Debating Society (CUDS) and Star Campus, a weekly magazine of The Daily Star, jointly organised the discussion titled 'Say no to drugs' at Chittagong Shilpakala Academy. Resident Editor of the daily Prothom Alo poet Abul Momen was the chief discussant with CUDS Moderator Dr Mahbubul Hoque in the chair. Dr Abdul Muttalib, head of the Psychiatry Department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), presented the keynote paper at the discussion while Chittagong Bureau-in-Charge of The Daily Star Shahidul Islam Bachchu delivered the welcome speech. Abul Momen in his speech said a vacuum is prevails in country's cultural sectors that cannot attract the young generation. As a result, they are being allured by drugs. "The young generation, being detached from our culture, is taking harmful drugs like Yaba as the society cannot fulfill their demands and cultural activities are failing to draw their attention," he said. Dr Abdul Muttalib pointed out different reasons behind drug addiction like social and economic crisis, lack of proper guidance by family members and association. He underscored the need for coordinated steps of government and different sections of the society to address the fatal tendency. Shahnoor Wahid, editor of Star Campus, urged the young students to raise their voice against practice of taking drugs. Prof Imam Ali of CU Sociology department, Md Moniruzzaman Bhuiyan, assistant professor at CU Statistics department, Principal of Sunshine Grammar School Safiya Gazi Rahman and Fuad Hasan, lecturer at CU Marketing department, also spoke on the occasion. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek