Govt to set up anti-drug and gambling committees in schools

The government has resolved to establish special committees at all educational institutions to combat drug abuse and gambling among young people, a measure intended to foster a safe and conducive learning environment.

The Home Ministry announced the decision in a notice issued on Thursday, stating that the initiative seeks to safeguard students from the corrosive influence of narcotics and illicit wagering. However, details of the committees' composition and operational framework have yet to be disclosed, leaving considerable uncertainty about how the scheme will function in practice. Under the proposed system, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education will compile monthly reports on the committees' activities and submit them to the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Education Ministry and the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry.

Moreover, the decision follows recommendations from the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry, which identified drugs and gambling as pressing social challenges and called for coordinated countermeasures. Furthermore, the move builds upon earlier awareness campaigns against substance abuse in educational institutions, thereby reinforcing efforts to address the problem at its roots.

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Meanwhile, authorities have expressed mounting concern over the proliferation of online gambling, sports betting and other digital forms of wagering, which have become increasingly accessible to young people. Accordingly, the government is expected to issue comprehensive guidelines and an implementation framework in the near future, with robust monitoring and accountability serving as central components of the initiative.