Delhi Police to use parent-teacher meetings to curb drug abuse in teenage students

NEW DELHI: In a proactive effort to tackle drug abuse among adolescents, Delhi Police will now utilise parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) in schools as a platform to sensitise and educate parents about the early warning signs of substance use in their children, an official said on Monday.

The initiative, being rolled out in collaboration with the Directorate of Education (DoE) , aims to build a broad-based awareness framework at the school and community level to address the rising threat of narcotics among school-going children.

The Delhi Police has already conducted training sessions for teachers from schools that opted for the programme, equipping them to identify behavioural indicators and psychological cues that may signal drug use among students, particularly teenagers, a senior police officer said.

“We recently partnered with the Directorate of Education and conducted a training session for teachers to help them understand how to identify early warning signs and behavioural changes in students who might be using drugs,” the officer said.

Also read West Bengal: Forcing summer vacation on hill schools has disrupted education, say teachers

Experts from AIIMS will help Delhi Police

Building on this, the police will now focus on involving parents directly through PTMs, ensuring early intervention at the family level. To further support the initiative, Delhi Police is in advanced discussions with the de-addiction centre at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to rope in expert counsellors.

“With the help of professional counsellors from AIIMS, we plan to create short, informative videos that explain the psychological and physical signs of drug use in adolescents. "These will be shown during PTMs to ensure the message reaches parents in an accessible, visual format,” the officer said.

The videos will serve as a conversation starter between parents and teachers and will be tailored to reflect age-appropriate warning signs. The programme is open to both government and private schools and authorities hope to scale it up citywide in the coming months.

“The initiative will help bridge the gap between schools, families, and law enforcement, fostering a collaborative environment where children are better protected against the growing menace of substance abuse,” he added.