JEDDAH: The Ministry of Education has called on schools to implement a national anti-drug plan and given a four-month period to implement the plan and report the results.

Educational directorates, according to a recent circular, have issued a directive to schools to implement the program by holding awareness exhibitions.

According to a report published in a local newspaper, the ministry participates in the national anti-drug plan and is responsible for implementing preventive awareness campaigns on the dangers of drugs inside schools.

Educational directorates called on schools to activate awareness programs on national occasions, such as National Day, and to devote a full week to educating the public about the dangers of drugs.

An international day to fight drugs is planned in addition to encouraging participation and implementation of relevant activities during a school day.

It encouraged them to benefit from the school activity in educating people about the dangers of drugs on the future of the family and its children. In addition to activating preventive programs in summer camps, all initiatives should be under the slogan Nebras, the national program for protection from drugs, in order to unify efforts.

According to officials, Nebras is a step in the right direction to face the dangers of drugs and its spread among young people. They explained that the project is a multi-program preventive measure based on a number of local, Arabic and international studies.

Officials said involving students in these programs and listening to them is a step toward the success of this campaign. They confirmed that the campaign was a national work that needs planned efforts where roles are completed within institutionalized partnerships that take in all initiatives, with educational establishments working as the second defense line after the family.

They value the active role between the Ministries of Education and Interior, represented in the national anti-drug committee, and their comprehensive and preventive efforts to foster awareness of drugs and create a generation that rejects drugs and all values that contradict Islamic ones.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad Al-Zahrani, director general of anti-drugs campaign, confirmed that there is cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the general directorate in fighting the drug menace. The cooperation is manifested in training sessions for teachers and counselors and implemented by the directorate in cooperation with the ministry to educate people about this issue.

He said Nebras is a national preventive program that has a major role in educating the community about the dangers of drugs. The program also promotes interaction of the Ministry of Education with the project and contributes to the success of its program, especially those that target children and youth and aim to protect the community from drugs.

Abdulilah Al-Sharif, undersecretary for the national anti-drug committee and chairman of Nebras, said educational establishments were the second line of defense after the family, and that cooperation between the committee and the Ministry of Education protects the younger generation from the dangers of drugs.

Nebras aims to strengthen the awareness of the community about the danger of drugs and unify efforts by government and private agencies in the field of preventing drug abuse.