Maharashtra to introduce drug de-addiction lessons in school curriculum

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the School Education Department to introduce drug de-addiction lessons in the school curriculum and announced a new initiative to provide free competitive exam coaching to meritorious rural students preparing for NEET and JEE.

Chairing a review meeting of the School Education Department, Fadnavis instructed officials to incorporate de-addiction-related content into school textbooks as part of the state's efforts to curb drug abuse among students.

He also directed the department to establish anti-drug guidance and counseling committees in schools and launch a "Drug-Free School" campaign.

According to a post by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on X, Fadnavis asked officials to take steps to include curriculum related to de-addiction in the school syllabus.

The chief minister also called for stricter measures to improve school safety and protect students from cyber fraud and substance abuse.

As part of a new academic support initiative, the state government will select 100 meritorious students from rural areas in each district to receive high-quality coaching for competitive examinations, including the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).

Fadnavis said Maharashtra continues to rank among the country's leading states in school education and is strengthening its student-centric education system by balancing quality education, promotion of the mother tongue, preservation of history and modern educational facilities.

Highlighting the state's performance, the chief minister said Maharashtra has retained the second position in the national Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 for school education.

He emphasized the need to introduce innovative practices across schools, including PM SHRI institutions.

The CMO said Maharashtra accounts for 9.34% of the country's schools, 8.84% of its teachers and 7.69% of its students.

“In the total 108,065 schools in the state, 22,048,443 students are receiving education, and the student-teacher ratio is 28:1,” the social media post stated.

The government said it is implementing reforms at multiple levels to expand access to quality school education.

During the review meeting, Fadnavis assessed the progress of key initiatives, including Aadhaar authentication of students, educational benefits extended to 35 lakh students under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the Pavitra teacher recruitment portal and the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Officials also briefed the chief minister on ongoing initiatives such as the Nipun Maharashtra Mission, Rashtriya Pratham campaign, the "Majhi Shala Sundar Shala" (My School, Beautiful School) initiative and student enrollment drives.

The state is also promoting online teacher training through AI-based platforms, along with exposure visits, school adoption programs, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships and the "Super 100" scheme.

Officials further noted that the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been given extensive place in the NCERT textbook on behalf of the central government.