HEDO with drug abuse prevention in Thanh Hoa province

( Speech by Director of Education and Training Department, Thanh Hoa province at the HEDO Seminar on 28^th March 2000)

-------- o0o --------

Quan Hoa is one of 11 mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa province, with total area of 1,400 km² and population of 40,905. The terrain is very complicated with forest and mountains with 60 km bordering road with Laos. In the past Quan Hoa district is a center of planting opium tree. Despite the fact that opium lands are abolished today it is still a point of trading, storing, transporting and trafficking drug. The addict here is numerous at all age including school age. In the difficult, remote and isolated areas, they discover more and more addicted people.

The Standing Anti-Social Evil Committee of Education and Training Department identified that Quan Hoa is a focus point of drug danger, therefore it has been paid much attention since school year 1993 - 1994. Every year, Education and Training Department and Office hold training course for cadres and teachers in order to raise their awareness and knowledge about the dangers of drug abuse so that they can communicate and educate their pupils. The pupils are also provided with plenty of information concerning social evils especially drug abuse through training courses, lessons combining drug abuse prevention, life style education in the official and unofficial curriculum.

In 1997, Thanh Hoa province have a pleasure to implement project “Role of schools in the strategy of drug abuse prevention, human settlement and community development” supported by Highland Education Development Organization (HEDO) which is led by Prof. Trinh Ngoc Trinh.

The project has promoted our strength. It has diversified objectives:

-         General Survey about Social Economy.

-         Drug abuse situation in the community.

-         Attitude and behavior of local people toward the State and Party policy of opium tree eradication.

-         Knowledge and attitude of pupils toward drug abuse calamity

-         Discovery and releasing drug addicted people and drug traffickers.

-         Role of school in the drug abuse prevention in schools.

With the above objectives, the delegates brought many useful ideas in the Workshop. Namely, the local people self-evaluate their attitude and responsibility before this drug calamity, put forward solutions to construct healthy and social evils free villages and community. The schools are also aware of their responsibilities in the fight against drug abuse. Thanks to the project, many people especially living in remote and isolated areas who face the situation of being “blind” for language, speaking and pictures can access new information about drug abuse dangers, speak their wishes and actively respond to State and Party policy of eradicating opium plant.

Thanks to training courses, the pupils improved their awareness and knowledge considerably. They have responsibilities of discovering, releasing suspected people relating drug, mobilizing their families to abolish opium tree and answering and participating general survey and competitions.

In many aspects, school plays an important and pre-conditional role in the drug abuse prevention. Regarding strategic and forecasting aspects, it is a introductory activity for the future of one nation. Drug abuse prevention education for pupil is in fact a preventive measure for future because pupils are provided with knowledge, measures to refuse and fight against drug at school. In addition, they are future masters who have scientific and technological knowledge to make great contribution in the rural and highland economic development and community culture development in the process of national industrialization and modernization.

Fighting against social evils especially drug abuse still faces a lot of difficult especially in highland district because of the low-level knowledge, lack of information and out of date information. Many areas have the low starting development point and the local people face “three lacking”. On the other hand, drug control and communication are ignored in many areas due to complicated and difficult terrain. Therefore, it requires more efforts and responsibilities from people and schools. We understand that internal force is basic and decisive in this cause. However, the spiritual and material support of HEDO and UNDCP encourages and promote the strength of schools in the fight against drug. So that schools in general and highland schools in particular are really healthy, free from drug and a sounding base for a strong, civilized and social evil free society.

On the occasion of 10^th anniversary of foundation of HEDO who is a close and faithful friend of Education and Training branch, we once again bear in mind and thank for support of HEDO and UNDCP. We hope to continue to have support from you.

Wishing all of you good health and success.

Wishing HEDO always on the move.

Thank you very much for your attention.

 

Back