Strict Directive for Tobacco Free Educational Institutes

Strict Directive for Tobacco Free Educational Institutes
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The Assam Education Department has issued a strict reminder to the all Inspectors of Schools (ISs) and District Elementary Education Officers (DEEOs) to direct the defaulting schools under their jurisdictions to comply with the prescribed criteria for attaining tobacco free educational institution status.

Guwahati​: The Assam Education Department has issued a strict reminder to the all Inspectors of Schools (ISs) and District Elementary Education Officers (DEEOs) to direct the defaulting schools under their jurisdictions to comply with the prescribed criteria for attaining tobacco free educational institution status.

The reminder was issued by Principal Secretary, Education PK Borthakur in respect of the earlier order (Memo No. PMS (S) 146/2011/170 dated 19th May, 2015) issued by the department to declare all educational institutions in the State tobacco free by end of this year.

The reminder clearly mentioned that all ISs and DEEOs are to obtain self declaration from each of the principal and headmaster containing the following- certifying that sign board reading “No Smoking Area” exist in the schools, no tobacco is consumed within the premises of the school by students, staff and teachers, certifying that there is no sale of tobacco inside the premises and within the jurisdiction of 100 yards radius of the school is going on.

The reminder further directed the ISs and DEEOs to obtain the undertaking on the above three points from each of the educational institutions falling under the jurisdictions of the respective ISs and DEEOs and submit a report to the Principal Secretary, Education’s office at the earliest.

Most of the educational institutions in Assam have already fullfiled the prescribed criteria towards attaining the tobacco free status but many institutions mostly in the interior parts of the State are yet to comply with the norms set to them by Education Department.

The Assam Government also constituted two committees one at the district level and one at the state level to look after the activities of the educational institutions in respect of achieving the target of the tobacco free institution.

“In recent review meeting we have instructed all the heads of the defaulting institutions to submit the self declaration forms before Christmas. Many of our schools have already submitted the self declarations. We hope before the yearend we will be able to send all the reports to the Principal Secretary’s office,” said NC Boro, Inspector of Schools, Kamrup.

Similarly educational institutions in the districts of Golaghat, Dhemaji, Morigaon, Jorhat, Lakhimpur, Kamrup (Metro), Dibrugarh, Darrang, Bongaigaon, Hailakandi and others are also in the process of compiling the self declaration of reports received from the institutions which will be very soon send to the Education Department along with District Declaration Report. Golaghat IS informs that they have till date more than 70 per cent of schools in the district have achieved tobacco free status.

By Amarjyoti Borah

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