Thiruvananthapuram: Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Raj had something to share for the busy parents of today in his session `Benign but wrong parenting leading to drug addiction among children’ on the final day of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL 2019) on Sunday.

A police officer of the 1985 IPS batch and a parent too, Rishiraj Singh stressed on the causes why children move to drugs and the stress levels prevailing among children. He said that the 3 reasons why students resort to drugs are curiosity, peer pressure and the stress level. He said most of the children have their first taste of the illegal substance due to their inquisitiveness. Peer pressure also make students consume drugs when seniors force or encourage juniors to go for it.

Another important point which the police officer stated is the bad effect of tuitions that takes its toll on students. Children spend most of the time on tuitions and in some houses there are peculiar situations where students and  parents leave and come back home at the same time.

Kerala tops in sending children for tuitions and about 80 percent of children go for full time tuitions from June to May. About 17 percent go for half academic tuitions and a meager percent opt for tuitions just before exams.

Parents keep pushing their child to perform better than others and outshine thereby increasing their stress level. He cited an example where a parent was blaming the child for B+ blood as another child had A+. Such is the level of the society we are living in, he opined.

Students are introduced to drugs when they are in classes and not in bathrooms or private places. Parents should know the first signs when a child resorts to using drugs. Parents must check the tiffin boxes of students when they are back from school, their dress and so too the school bags. Examining these may give a hint if the child has possession of any drugs.

Blaming the parent teacher associations in schools as a paid organization, he said most of it does not function for the betterment of students.

The old adage of mother being a friend of the child may not seem true in the present situation. Students are deprived of sports in schools and there are no sports periods. All this may lead to increasing the stress levels of children and they shift to other means for relaxation.

Rishiraj Singh cited an interesting example from Britain where a mother communicates to her husband and children and calls them for dinner through WhattsApp. This is the trend prevailing and may soon reach India too. This only shows there is absolute breakdown of communication between a parent and child.

Schools go for 100 percent results and in this mad race, students are penalized. Categoristaion of education as A+ ruins the education system and his piece of advise to parents is to allow children to pursue their own interests.

Rishiraj pointed out that as many as 64000 children ran away from homes in 2016 which is an alarming situation.

Another dangerous point he mentioned is the increasing number of suicides at the coaching capital of Kota. The level of stress created by parents takes the lives of children.

The police officer ended the topic giving an example of his own son who was not good in his studies but was allowed to pursue his interests. He now works in China as an animation expert.

The session was an eye opener for parents.