Kannur: Curbing drug menace requires identifying and targeting its root cause. The Kannur District Panchayat has adopted this stratagem to prevent school students from falling into the trap of drug pushers.
As it has been found that drugs are peddled in shops and kiosks near schools, the authorities are planning to open cafes on the educational campus itself. Cafes will be opened in all government schools to ensure that students don’t go out of the campus to take a bite during recess.
The project, named School Cafesree, will be implemented in all government schools in the district. The district administration decided to launch this novel scheme as it was found that the drug cartels lure students when they go out to nearby eating outlets during school breaks.
The project would be implemented by the Kudumbashree, a two-decade-old successful women empowerment project in Kerala. Initially, the project will be implemented in 24 schools and later it will be launched in other schools.
President K V Sumesh informed the district panchayat members that talks would be held with Kudumbashree to execute the project. Apart from a safe environment, the students would also get unadulterated food through the project.
The panchayat is also planning to establish modern counselling centres in all schools after including this project in the district panchayat’s annual plans.
Other schemes
Another scheme to provide solar panels, CCTV cameras and photostat machines to all schools will be completed by March. All these projects will be executed in 73 schools in the Kannur district.
Presently, solar panels had been installed in 23 schools and 9 related institutions.
The photostat machines are being provided as part of the efforts to distribute question papers online, and CCTV cameras will be installed in 23 schools.
A meeting will be held to discuss the report on toilet cleanliness in schools on October 25.
The district panchayat members under the aegis of Deputy Director of Education will also meet twice a month in schools to keep a tab on the progress of the ‘Be Positive’ programme launched by the district panchayat to improve the quality of education in the district.
