Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Saudi Arabia: School Textbooks to Highlight Dangers of Drug Use | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat- Saudi Arabia has completed a new study on ways to develop its education curricula and textbooks in an effort to combat the spread of drugs.

Rashid al Kathiri, deputy president of the committee, which oversaw the study, told Asharq al Awsat on Monday that Kingdom drug traffickers and smugglers had increased in Saudi society, in spite of the government efforts to stop them.

Conducted in collaboration with the national committee to combat drugs and the ministries of education and higher education, the study aims to develop “schools and universities that will protect society from the dangers of drugs” by educating students and informing them of the dangers of drug addiction and its negative effects on individuals and society. It also seeks to train teachers and academics and prepare educational programs to fight the spread of drugs.

The committee is formed from representatives of Saudi universities and other education institutions and includes experts in drug prevention and harm reduction. It has investigated schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, and youth correctional institutions, using case studies, surveys and questionnaires.

It sought to identify the priorities of a nation- wide awareness campaign that will warn against the dangers of drugs in schools and university and conduct a practical study of drug addicts in hospitals and rehabilitation institutes.

According to al Kathiri, the working plan was constituted of three separated studies and included an examination of all previous statistics and research on the subject, in order to form a comprehensive view of the challenges ahead.

The study will include recommendations for teachers, school and university staff, families and the public, as well as information on the damages drugs can cause and how to prevent the young from falling in their trap and becoming addicted.