Maharashtra government is now making a move to embed drug de-addiction lessons in the school curriculum as part of a plan to address the social problems in the country to protect young minds. The Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has directed the School Education Department to accelerate this initiative at a high-level review meeting in Mumbai. At the meeting, he also instructed authorities to establish Anti-Drug Guidance and Counselling Committees in schools across the state and go on the statewide 'Drug-Free School' campaign. Fadnavis also stressed that security in education has to be taken to protect students from cyber fraud and substance abuse.
Fadnavis said modern education needs to go beyond the academic world to equip young people with basic values, moral conviction and the confidence to overcome any future challenges. He added that in order to achieve this balanced academic excellence, the mother tongue, rich historical heritage and a better educational system, Maharashtra must be able to give a good education model to the students and develop a system of education for them so that they are not just taught to learn but are educated themselves. In addition, the state is determined to continue to be one of the most educated states in India in school education. De-addiction education at an early age must be introduced in the state education system to give students the awareness to live healthy, responsible and addiction free lives.
Empowering Every Student, Strengthening Every School
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) August 3, 2026
Chaired a review meeting of the School Education Department in Mumbai, today.
Education must empower young minds with knowledge, values and the confidence to shape the future. By striking the right balance between academic… https://t.co/jTYOmx0WR8
Apart from substance abuse awareness, the chief minister also put much focus on the academic coverage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy. He added that due to the efforts of the Maharashtra government, the central government has agreed to provide a more comprehensive coverage of Shivaji Maharaj’s history in NCERT textbooks. At the same time, the state education department has been directed to ensure that the great ruler’s historical contributions are taught more in the local school curriculum. In addition, the government has continued to be very strict on regional language policies and has made it very clear that Marathi and the curriculum for the language are mandatory in all schools belonging to the Maharashtra State Board as well as CBSE, ICSE, IB boards in the state.
The government pointed out that Maharashtra is still one of the best performing states of the country under the Performance Grading Index 2.0 framework and that it is still the second best performing state as an example of its long-term commitment to education quality. Through the PM SHRI Schools and the wider system and institutions, the state government of Maharashtra is working to ensure that students at every level of the society are getting high quality and future-ready education that is based on professional and cultural knowledge that is modern and social as it is in line with modern standards for the state, the government of Maharashtra is committed to a high-quality education and not only in terms of education but at a very high level of social and cultural values.
