The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Weaning them away from gutka

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Friday, Sep 07, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Weaning them away from gutka

S. Harpal Singh

Counselling done at tribal residential schools and colleges

It takes two years to help addicts give up the habit
Tribals don’t consider chewing
of gutka wrong

On the right path: A counselling session under way at the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Residential School and Junior College in Adilabad.

ADILABAD: Weaning away persons from bad habits like chewing gutka and tobacco needs catching them young, as they take to these evils early in life.

Counselling for such youngsters is being done in tribal residential schools and colleges on a regular basis for the last five years.

Saved from the ‘evil’

Given this background, it can safely be said that scores of children have been saved from the social ‘evil’ due to the dedication of the staff concerned in keeping the problem under check.

One such institution where regular counselling is done for rather wayward students is the Andhra Pradesh Tribal Welfare Residential School and Junior College for Boys, Adilabad. Here, tab is kept on boys who bring with them these bad habits so that counselling is done for them. The exercise of somewhat ‘hard’ cases includes counselling of parents too.

“Tribals do not consider chewing of gutka or tobacco as anathema. Some tribals join school in standard VI with this habit. It takes two years of regular counselling and monitoring of the student before he completely gives up the habit,” reveals principal Md. Tajmiya.

“About 10 per cent of freshers come with the habit. Even if the boys do not reveal their weakness, we can find it out by checking the dentition and their personal kits. Parents give pocket money to their children without informing us. This is used by addict students to purchase gutka,” says S. Narsing Rao, a teacher.

Training

Students are also sent for training at Lead India Youth Development Programme at Narsapur in Medak district from where they return as opinion leaders and counsel others, Mr. Tajmiya disclosed.

Ajmera Ramesh who has completed his training is one such opinion leader.

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