The Punjab government has launched a phased teacher training programme to equip educators to identify early signs of mental health concerns and vulnerability to drug abuse among students, a government press release said. The initiative will cover more than 21,850 teachers across 12 districts, beginning August 2026, under the state’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ anti-drug campaign.
Scope and rollout
According to the release, the training will be delivered through in excess of 500 one-day awareness and capacity-building batches. The first sessions were held last week in Fazilka and Tarn Taran, where over 800 teachers took part. The programme will next expand to Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot, Mohali, Ropar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana and Patiala.
Training objectives and rationale
The stated aim is to give teachers practical skills to recognise changes in behaviour, attendance and emotional wellbeing that may indicate distress or a susceptibility to substance use, and to enable them to respond and facilitate timely support. The government framed the effort as an extension of earlier sensitisation activities focused on student wellbeing and substance use.
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh said teachers spend substantial time with students and are well-placed to notice behavioural and attendance changes, the release added. The training, the government said, is designed for early intervention and building a supportive school atmosphere.
Background and previous phases
The current teacher-focused rollout follows a January programme that trained principals and headmasters of senior secondary and high schools across nine districts, with emphasis on border districts considered vulnerable to substance use. A pilot teacher training in Amritsar involved more than 2,800 teachers. The press release stated that more than 75% of participants in earlier sessions reported feeling motivated to contribute to creating a healthier school environment.
- Number of teachers to be trained: 21,850+
- Number of districts covered: 12
- Training format: 500+ one-day batches starting August 2026
- Initial districts where training started: Fazilka, Tarn Taran
What the training may mean for schools
Schoolteachers often act as first responders in recognising a child’s emotional or behavioural change. With structured awareness and capacity-building, teachers can identify red flags such as sudden drop in academic performance, frequent absence, social withdrawal or visible changes in mood and hygiene. The programme’s one-day format suggests a focus on practical recognition and referral mechanisms rather than clinical training.
For many schools in Punjab’s border districts, which have been singled out in earlier interventions for heightened vulnerability to substance use, improved teacher awareness could translate into earlier counselling referrals, engagement with parents and closer co-ordination with health and district education authorities.
Implementation considerations
Key to the programme’s success will be follow-up mechanisms: whether trained teachers will have access to referral pathways, school counsellors, or links to district mental health services. The release does not specify post-training support structures, frequency of refresher courses or monitoring and evaluation metrics for outcomes in student wellbeing.
| Element | Details provided |
|---|---|
| Teachers to be trained | 21,850+ |
| Districts | 12 (including Fazilka, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot, Mohali, Ropar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala) |
| Training format | 500+ one-day awareness and capacity-building batches |
| Campaign | Yudh Nashean Virudh (anti-drug campaign) |
Looking ahead
As the programme proceeds from its pilot locations to the wider list of districts, education and health officials will need to clarify referral pathways, availability of counselling services and ways to integrate school-level observations into district mental health strategies. For parents and community groups, the initiative underscores a growing recognition by the state that student mental health and substance vulnerability require coordinated action involving schools, families and health systems.
"Teachers spend substantial time with students and can notice changes in behaviour, attendance and emotional wellbeing," the release quoted Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh as saying.
The phased approach and the scale—more than 21,850 teachers—signal the state administration’s intent to broaden its early-intervention capacity in schools, particularly in districts seen as at higher risk for substance-related harm.
