The Higher Education Commission has demanded the federal government to form a policy and provide funds to curb the use of drugs in educational institutes. University students are likely to get tested for drugs on campus.
As per reports, during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Science and Technology , it was revealed that more than 76 million Pakistanis are addicted to drugs with most of them being university students.
“University students are increasingly getting attracted towards
ice (methamphetamine) and other harmful drugs. The government should devise a
policy to stop this,” said committee chairman Mushtaq Ghani.
The
HEC informed the committee about the issuance of guidelines for random drug
screenings that will make campuses drug and smoke-free.
“A policy would be needed to start random drug screening for which
more human resource as well as testing labs will be required. With our current
resources we can’t conduct drug screening tests at all universities,” said an
HEC official.
The committee has, therefore, advised the government to issue Rs21
billion for the HEC.
Conducting random drug tests, using peer pressure, signing
contracts with NGOs and reaching out to the root of drug trafficking will pull
drugs out from their roots, the HEC assured the standing committee.
It was also decided that the Anti-Narcotics Force will be called in the meeting to discuss their opinion on the matter.
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