President calls for efforts to curb drug use in varsities`

President Dr Arif Alvi has underlined the need for concrete efforts to address the growing menace of drug use in universities so as to ensure a drug-free environment at educational institutions.

He expressed these views while addressing a virtual meeting of the vice-chancellors of all public and private universities.

Addressing the meeting, the president underlined the need for creating awareness and ensuring prevention against use of narcotics in universities.He advised the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to constitute a committee of vice-chancellors for developing the content for a campaign for raising awareness against the use of drugs.

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The president further stated that in order to facilitate differently-abled persons in pursuing higher studies, the infrastructure of universities’ buildings needed to be designed and modified in accordance with their needs.

HEC Executive Director Dr Shaista Sohail said the HEC had formulated two new policies that had been shared with universities and were to be approved by the commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2021.