The National Cadet Corps has launched a drug-prevention training programme for its officers, aiming to shield schoolchildren from the rising use of narcotics in schools, the Corps said. The initiative draws on the close working relationship NCC officers maintain with students and forms part of the wider Clean Sri Lanka national drive on public-health and youth issues.
Under the direction of NCC Director Major General A.P.R. Premathilake, a two-day pilot workshop was held at the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board with a focus on the Western Province. Fifty selected officers received training in prevention and early intervention strategies.
A certificate-awarding ceremony marked the conclusion of the workshop, attended by NDDCB Director Major General (Retd.) K.M. Kothalawala alongside other senior officials and provincial representatives. The Corps said the programme highlighted its stepped-up efforts to counter the spread of illegal drugs among Sri Lanka’s youth.
The pilot is the latest in a series of state-level interventions targeting drug use in schools, with Cabinet recently approving six new drug-rehabilitation centres and authorities pursuing high-profile narcotics arrests in recent weeks.
Source: The Island.
