Hyderabad, May 11 (IANS) School students across Telangana will be administered a collective pledge to stay away from tobacco, alcohol, and narcotic substances.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday night met Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at Lok Bhavan to invite him to attend the students’ gathering to be organised on June 12 on the occasion of the reopening of schools.

During the programme, the government will administer a mass pledge to students, urging them to stay away from tobacco, alcohol, and narcotic substances, and to conduct themselves as responsible citizens.

Earlier, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had suggested to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy that students should be made to take an anti-drug pledge.

In line with the Governor’s suggestion, the state government is organising a massive student gathering to administer the anti-drug pledge.

CM Revanth Reddy also informed the Governor that kits containing uniforms, textbooks, notebooks, school bags, sportswear, and other essential supplies would be distributed to students on the same day.

The Chief Minister apprised the Governor that school and college managements would issue directives to ensure constant vigilance to prevent students from falling prey to drugs and other addictions.

The mass pledge ceremony and other related activities are being organised jointly under the aegis of the Department of School Education, the Police Department, and the anti-drugs force EAGLE.

The initiative emphasises the collective responsibility of students, teachers, parents, and management in ensuring that educational institutions remain safe and drug-free environments.

Earlier, the Chief Minister participated in the inaugural programme of Education Week under ‘Praja Palana-Pragathi Pranalika’, the 99-day action plan focusing on accelerated governance, welfare delivery, and development initiatives.

The Chief Minister went around the stalls set up as part of the programme at L.B. Stadium.

He laid the foundation stone for Young India Integrated Schools to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,011 crore in the CURE area.

CM Revanth Reddy also distributed cash prizes to government teachers for their meritorious services and students for their educational excellence.

The Chief Minister, who also holds the education portfolio, unveiled his mission to strengthen the education sector by introducing a new education policy and several initiatives, including increasing the education budget each year, introducing nursery to Class 12 in government schools, and providing breakfast for students in all government educational institutions.

The Chief Minister said that the government allocated 8 per cent of the state budget for education.

The allocation would increase each year and reach 15 per cent of the total outlay in the coming years.

He stressed that government schools should be strengthened to enable them to compete with private institutions.

He noted that 19 lakh poor students were studying in 27,000 government schools, while the total number of students in 12,000 private schools is 38 lakh.

Stating that the government would introduce a new education policy soon, CM Revanth Reddy said the policy should serve as a role model for the country.

The government is introducing nursery to Class 12 in government schools in view of the increasing number of dropouts after Class 10.

Taking serious note of the fact that students from underprivileged backgrounds are attending school on empty stomachs, the Chief Minister said that nutritious food, including milk and Ragi Java (finger millet porridge), would be served to school students.

As a pilot project, the breakfast scheme had already been introduced in schools in the Kodangal Assembly constituency.

The Chief Minister took strong exception to the opposition’s criticism that there was no full-time minister for education.

He said he deliberately retained the education portfolio to provide quality education to students and groom them as responsible citizens of the country.

–IANS

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