Education
MoE Launched Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions Manual on World No Tobacco Day 2024
On World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2024, the Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, launched the Implementation Manual of Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) in collaboration with the Socio Economic and Educational Development Society (SEEDS). The event, held in New Delhi, aligned with this year’s WNTD theme: “Protecting children from tobacco industry interference.”
The newly launched manual was designed to assist schools in adhering to the ToFEI guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The initiative aimed to create a healthier, tobacco-free environment for students by empowering stakeholders to adopt and enforce these guidelines, protecting students from the dangers of tobacco.
Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of DoSEL, in his message prior to the event, urged all educational institutions to take steps to discourage tobacco use and safeguard children by making educational institutions tobacco-free zones.
During the unveiling, Shri Anandrao V. Patil, Additional Secretary, DoSEL, emphasized the importance of protecting children from tobacco as both a health imperative and a moral obligation. He highlighted the need to ensure that tobacco did not impact students negatively, stressing the harmful mortality rate due to tobacco consumption and encouraging stakeholders to actively implement the ToFEI manual.
Dr. Amarpreet Duggal, Joint Secretary of DoSEL, welcomed participants and stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to combat tobacco use among students. She referenced the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, which revealed that 8.5% of students aged 13 to 15 consumed tobacco.
All dignitaries present reiterated their commitment by taking an oath against tobacco use, a collective endeavour to create a healthier, tobacco-free future for the nation’s youth. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education, autonomous bodies, and States/UTs, attended the event.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Shri U.P. Singh, Director, DoSEL, who expressed gratitude to all dignitaries, partners, and participants for their support and contribution towards the successful launch of the Implementation Manual for ToFEI.