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Naga students to have Tobacco Education in their syllabus |
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KOHIMA, JUL 24: With statistics of the huge percentage of tobacco users among school-going children in the State raising serious concerns, the district level workshop on ‘Tobacco Control Laws’ for school teachers held at Hotel Japfü today has resolved to include education
on the ill affects of tobacco in school curriculum. This inclusion will be made under SCERT and NBSE.
It also decided to put up anti-smoking signboards in all educational institutions within Kohima district while also resolving to create a smoke free zone in the Directorate of School Education and Higher Education. In this regard, it has appealed to the district administration and municipal body concerning licensing of retailers for implementation of the Tobacco Act. The resolution includes early appointment of enforcement agency by the concerned department and to let tobacco and health be a topic in all important school teachers training programmes.
These resolutions were adopted after deliberations on tobacco effects at the workshop where it was pointed out that more than 5 million people die annually in the world from Tobacco while India amounts to more than 8 lakh deaths from it with an even more alarming rate of 250 million people using tobacco in one form or the other. The figures revealed here during the workshop organised by the Department of Health and Family Welfare also said 98% of oral cancer is caused by tobacco.
Asserting that tobacco is contributing to the ill health of everybody with its use in Naga people amounting to 48% that comes both in the form of smoking and non-smoking (chewing), Kevi Liegise, State Project Director, SSA said ‘tobacco is damaging our youth’ while addressing the inaugural session on Friday.
He maintained that it is infecting and infesting everybody whether young or old, male or female and expressed deep concern that tobacco users die as early as 30. He also expressed serious concern that in Nagaland, schoolchildren smokers constitute 37% where 55% of them are male and 18% female.
Pointing out that tobacco is a great hazard, with more emphasis on Gutkha in the Nagaland context, Liegise further elaborated on the role of teachers in sensitising students. “Teachers are the most important people as far as young people are concerned,” he said.
The State Project Director reiterated that teachers play a very important role in tobacco control and stressed that tobacco control policies need to be urgently translated in the school areas and classrooms.
Explaining that tobacco contains so much of poison like nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, cement, pins, plastics, etc, he held that it is only because tobacco users consume it in small amounts that they continue to live. However, he said the quality of life is destroyed even before one actually dies.
“We’re going to be late if we do not put serious thought on tobacco control,” he said.
DEO Kohima Zaveyi Nyekha earlier impressed on tobacco free zones in schools. “Let’s take a resolution that none of our students take tobacco in the school compounds,” he exhorted.
He, meanwhile, also informed that corporal punishment on students is now prohibited and asked teachers to refrain from this practice.
Over 60 teachers representing 41 schools in Kohima District attended the workshop. The workshop was organised with a view to sensitise school teachers and to train them to become resource persons on tobacco in order to create awareness among students as well as to be enforcement agents.
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