ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Less Developed Areas on Wednesday suggested paying more attention to ‘moral education’ to discourage drug use among students.

The committee, which is chaired by Senator Usman Khan Kakar, was discussing steps taken by the government to improve the quality of primary to higher education.

Last year, a think-tank claimed that a survey had found that 53pc of students at elite private schools were drug “addicts”. The survey’s findings were based on 44 institutions, and when shared at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, triggered a debate about how such a high number of students could be addicted to heroin, hashish, opium and ecstasy.

Since then, the matter has come up during parliamentary committee meetings that discuss the quality of education and efforts to provide a better environment to students.

HEC representative tells Senate body land has been acquired for Fata university

Mr Kakar said a large number of university students use drugs, and so letters should be written to the president of Pakistan and to provincial governors – who are the chancellors of federal and provincial universities respectively – to look into the matter.

He also ordered for letters to be sent to the chief ministers, to take action against drug use and the sale and purchase of drugs in educational institutions.

“Strict action should be taken against non-students living in the hostels of educational institutions. Moreover, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) should revise the curriculum after consultation with the vice chancellors of universities,” Mr Kakar said.

Senator Nisar Mohammad said universities should focus on moral education along with professional education, otherwise it would be difficult to get positive results, to which Senator Tanveerul Haq Thanvi agreed.

An HEC representative said a meeting was held three months ago that was attended by vice chancellors of various universities during which it was decided that universities would sign a memorandum of understanding with the Anti Narcotics Force.

“Moreover, in 32 universities, programmes have been started with the collaboration of British Council and three sessions of moral education have been declared necessary during every week,” he said.

However, the committee chairman directed for more efforts to stop drug use in educational institutions.

Land acquired for Fata University Mr Mohammad also raised the matter of the lack of a university in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas at the meeting, and said Fata’s students were suffering from the lack of a university as they had to travel to various other parts of the country for higher education.

However, the HEC representative claimed 266 acres of land has been acquired and tenders will soon be published to proceed further regarding construction.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2017