On Teachers’ Day today, educators, school principals, and health experts united and raised an alarm over the rising threat of new-age nicotine devices, such as vapes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products (HTPs), increasingly plaguing schools.
Assembling at a national conference here, they pledged to “Stop the Entry of Novel Nicotine Products in Schools.”
While the Ministry of Education expert calls for stricter implementation of PECA 2019 as e-cigarettes remain easily available online, medical experts debunk the myth of “safe alternatives,” warning of high addiction risks and severe lung damage from vapes and e-cigarettes among school children.
Principals and teachers urge educators nationwide to join a campaign to stop these devices from entering schools through stronger protocols, wellness checks, and early detection of warning signs.
Speaking at the workshop, A. Srija, Economic Adviser, Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education, said, “The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019 needs stricter enforcement since products like vapes are widely available online. A recent study revealed that 35.6% of online sellers are still flouting the ban. Despite TOFEI (Tobacco-Free Educational Institution) guidelines being in place, teachers tell us that students continue accessing these products online with ease.”
All panellists stressed that combating this growing threat requires collective, sustained action across the ecosystem, from students and parents to teachers and policymakers.
As the availability of such devices is not getting curbed despite a lot of efforts, behavioral change is critical to understand and intervene accordingly. Children must be equipped to say “no” through awareness, peer support, and strong parental and teacher guidance.
Rashmi Malhotra, Headmistress, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Delhi, said, “Children are experimenting with products labelled as ‘herbal’ vapes, easily available online. Misinformation, peer pressure, and glamorization on social media mislead them into believing it’s safe.”
“The truth is, most children are stepping into this unaware and unprepared – it’s like handing them a car without teaching them how to drive. I applaud Mothers Against Vaping for organizing this meaningful workshop. We need to urgently scale up awareness, enforcement, and adult accountability on the issue,” Malhotra added.
Organized by Mothers Against Vaping (MAV), this conference brought together leading voices from across the education community, including Arun Mukherjee, Principal (IB), Genesis Global School, Noida; Shikha Sehgal, Head – Counselling, Heritage International Xperiential School, Gurugram; Pramod Sharma, Vice President, Member – Management Committee, Genesis Global School, Noida; Jyoti Singh, Principal, Lady Irwin Senior Secondary School, Delhi; and Rashmi Malhotra, Headmistress, Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, Delhi.
In India, the birthday of the second President, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, 5 September, has been celebrated as Teachers’ Day since 1962.