Say no to drugs: Akun to students

Hyderabad: Say a firm ‘No’ to drugs for the first time, every time, exhorted Akun Sabharwal, Director, Prohibition and Excise, to the hundreds of students who assembled along with parents at the symposium on ‘Positive parenting’ held at Global Edge School, Kokapet here on Saturday.

One should not keep quiet. It is the responsibility of the citizens to bring drug abuse to the notice of authorities concerned, he further added. Awareness is growing, and young students of even Class 4 know the ill-effects of drugs, but what is needed is to report cases to the authorities. Suggesting a box to be kept in every school, Akun Sabharwal said that students could just drop the names of suspects anonymously, he said.
Close to 2,000 students and parents attended the event and several of them asked questions to a panel that included Cybercrime expert and a renowned psychiatrist.

Dr Prasad Rao, former president, Indian Psychiatrist Society, said, “Parents and teachers should keep an eye on behavioural changes, mood swings and notice change in habits, such as keeping to oneself, moving with a new set of friends et.al.”

With the growing number of cybercrimes and games that cause harm to students even resulting in loss of life, cyber security expert, U Ram Mohan, SP Cybercrimes, advised students not to download free games. “If something is given free of cost, there should be a hidden agenda.”

One should not depend on free downloads even for diagrams. The human mind is endowed with a creative genius and one should as far as possible use one’s own faculty. Earlier, Ranjitha Rao, director operations, Global Edge School said that the school was keen on conducting awareness programmes on issues facing students and elicited feedback from parents.”