Date:07/11/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/11/07/stories/2009110754660300.htm

Kerala

Keeping a tab on students Law & order

The district panchayat and the city police are launching projects for the welfare of the student community, writes Biju Govind.

The Kozhikode district panchayat has mooted steps to constitute ‘jagritha brigades’, a first of its kind in the State, aimed at preventing dangerous trends among high school students.

The programme will be part of the ongoing Jagritha Samiti project drawn up under a health initiative of the local body.

District panchayat president K.P. Kuhammed Kutty said that 10 students would be selected from each school for the project. The students from Class VIII, IX and X would be imparted training at the 12 blocks and Corporation limits.

The first phase of the programme will be held on Saturday. The district-level inauguration will be held at Balussery.

The students will be selected based on their talent and friendship base. The school authorities will select the students depending on these factors, he said.

Kozhikode Medical College and the Department of Education are cooperating with the initiative. Now, the jagritha samitis will have members from the student fraternity.

Mr. Kunhammed Kutty said that the jagritha brigades would identify the problems of adolescents and place them before these samitis headed by a teacher of the school.

It would help prevent substance abuse, smoking and alcoholism among students. Some of the issues were more prevalent on the campuses in the city. The samitis will take up the problems of sex abuse of minors and discord in families as well, he said.

Members of voluntary agencies will be part of the proposed brigade, he said.

Recently, the city police decided to start a Jana Maitri Yuvajana Kendra aimed at giving counselling and legal awareness classes to college students. A jagritha samithi exclusively for girls would be formed as part of the programme.

The members would be given physical training and gender awareness classes, said S. Sreejith, Commissioner of Police, Kozhikode. This programme envisaged under the ongoing Jana Maitri Community Police Scheme is to involve the youth in social activities. He also stressed the role of parents in identifying the problems confronting the adolescents, he said.