Jadavpur University has issued a circular calling for making the campus free of alcohol, drug and tobacco, the move following a meeting vice-chancellor Suranjan Das held with teachers to discuss allegations of alcohol and drug abuse.
The circular, which draws on an advisory issued by the University Grants Mission (UGC), was issued on March 27, JU officials said on Sunday. Das had met the teachers on March 25.
“It is being brought to the notice of all the university stakeholders about the UGC’s circular... regarding the need to address the issue of addiction among the youth for tobacco, alcohol and drugs, particularly in the educational institutions. Organisations of teachers, students and research scholars, officers and employees, the university clubs as well as the NSS, are requested to promote awareness of the need to have alcohol/ drug/tobacco-free Jadavpur University campus. All possible help from the administration will be rendered for undertaking such exercises,” reads the circular signed by registrar Snehamanju Basu.
A teacher who was present at the meeting with the VC said Das had expressed his concern about allegations of drug and alcohol abuse on the campus and advised the teachers to do their best to curb the menace.
“At the meeting, while discussing problems resulting from frequent gheraos, the vice-chancellor also expressed concern about rampant abuse of substances and stressed the need to launch a sensitisation drive,” said Bhaskar Sardar, the head of the information technology department who attended the meeting.
“Last Monday, I had invited members of several teachers’ organisations to discuss the prevailing situation on the campus. During the interaction, the teachers themselves had expressed concern about drug and alcohol abuse on the campus. Some of the teachers also cited a few recent examples of abuse.... The UGC, too, has recently issued an advisory on the issue. So, we thought of issuing the circular as part of a sensitisation drive,” Das told Metro on Sunday.
A JU official said the authorities had received complaints of abuse during a fest held at the open-air theatre on the campus early last month. “Some of those who live in quarters on the campus got involved in a spat with a section of students on this,” the official said.
Another official said the issuing of the circular was not surprising on a campus where the vice-chancellor had to hold a convention on drug and alcohol abuse.
The convention was held in September 2017. Das had then said it was “sad” that a convention on such a topic had to be held on the campus.
In June 2017, the university had decided to form a squad consisting of students, teachers and officials to tackle “the problem of addiction”.
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