Lok Sabha Question No. 565 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-06
Subject: Awareness on Harmful effect of Tabacco at School Levels
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Ramya  Haridas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 565 ANSWERED ON 06.02.2023

## Awareness on Harmful effect of Tabacco at School Levels

## 565 MS. RAMYA HARIDAS :

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the recent Global Youth Survey Report says that nearly one-fifth of the students aged 13-15 years use some form of tobacco products (smoking, smokeless and any other form) and whether school and teachers are crucial in creating awareness among children and their parents about the harmful effect of tobacco use;

(b)  whether  Government  has  any  plan  to  develop  any  curriculum  to  spread  awareness  among school going children about the harmful effects of tobacco products;

- (c) if so, the details thereof; and

(d) at what level of education system it may be incorporated?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SMT. ANNPURNA DEVI)

(a):    Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed that as per the National Fact Sheet of the  Global  Youth  Tobacco  Survey  (GYTS-4),  2019,  nearly  one-fifth  (18.1%)  of  the  students (19.3% of boys and 16.9% of girls) aged 13-15 years reported ever use of any tobacco product. However,  the  current  tobacco  use  was  8.5%  which  has  come  down  from  14.6%  in  2009. Awareness  is  created  among  students  through  school  and  teachers  about  harmful  effect  of tobacco use through various programmes and awareness drives time to time. School heads are also made aware of The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, (CoTPA), 2003.

(b)  to  (d):  The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  and  Training  (NCERT)  has  already incorporated  age-appropriate  content  related  to  tobacco,  drugs  and  intoxicants  in  the  syllabus, textbooks and other teaching learning materials. The contents on Drug Abuse are discussed in the NCERT's textbooks of Science for Class VIII, Biology for Class XII, Psychology for Classes XI and XII.

Under the National Population Education Project (NPEP), the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) and the Ayushman Bharat School Health and Wellness Programme (SHP), special classes of 23 hours in an academic session, 5-6 day training courses for master trainers & Nodal teachers, special lectures in schools, experiential learning activities like Role Play, Folk Dance,  Poster  making,  Creative  writing,  Debate,  Discussion  and  Skill  Building  activities  are organised  with  school  students  for  awareness  generation  on  issues  related  to  tobacco,  drug  / substance misuse.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued 'Guidelines on Protection from Exposure to Tobacco Smoke'  to their affiliated schools, conveying the World  Health Organisation (WHO)'s guidelines on protection from exposure to tobacco/smoke. CBSE has also been  issuing  periodic  circulars  to  schools  affiliated  to  it  for  sensitizing  all  students  about  illeffects of tobacco. Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti has already implemented the 'National Tobacco Control  Programme'  in  all  Jawahar  Navodaya  Vidyalayas.  Kendriya  Vidyalaya  Sangathan conducts  various  awareness  programmes  to  sensitize  their  students  about  harmful  effects  of tobacco use through talks in Morning Assembly, competitions through Co-Curricular activities and Adolescence Education Programme.

****