With the guidance of Major Ngo Quoc Khanh and the proactive engagement from 10th grade students, the seminar was efficiently and successfully carried out. Lecturer Ngo Quoc Khanh is currently working at the Drug-Related Crime Investigation Section of Hanoi City’s Police and has collaborated with Hanoi - Amsterdam High School in activities on school-based violence prevention  every year.

Major Ngo Quoc Khanh

The seminar aimed at raising awareness and equipping students with the necessary skills in preventing and dealing with crimes related to drugs and other addictive substances. In the midst of an ongoing increasingly complex and rampant drug abuse situation in Hanoi, having basic knowledge and understanding of this problem is essential to avoid falling into addiction. Especially as we are in our teenage years, we can be easily negatively influenced by social media. By idolizing “cyber gangsters”, students may become misinformed. As a matter of fact, according to statistics as of October 14th, 2022, in Hanoi, there are a total of 17,870 drug addicts and users. Understanding this, the school believes that school-based drug prevention education is of urgent need to help students take notice of the issue and lead a healthy lifestyle for themselves.

A large number of 10th grade students attending the seminar

With a large audience of 10th grade students, Mr Ngo Quoc Khanh gave an informative lecture on the most basic knowledge about addictive substances, their preventive measures combined with some practical examples. Currently, there are still many false and outdated ideas about drugs, which are causing serious and dangerous consequences for society and especially for education. The seminar provided the students with a deeper understanding of this problem through the dedicated and detailed answers of the lecturer. In addition, he mentioned different real-life ways that are used to trick people into using addictive substances so that the students can have a more varied perspective and know how to protect themselves in different situations.

The major lecturing on different drug manufacturing equipments

From real-life experiences dealing with the issues, Mr. Ngo Quoc Khanh has emphasized a number of “guidelines” for the students to be on the alert in the fight against drug crimes such as: “Drugs come from bad friends”, “No one gives anything away for free” or “Better alone than in bad company”. Those valuable pieces of advice will help you pay attention and be cautious of the drug baits. Using drugs not only affects the well-being of the users themselves; it also harms the prospects of their future and leads them to make negative impacts on the lives of everyone else.

After the detailed lecture by the reporter, numerous 10th graders followed it up with a number of questions such as “Will accidentally using drugs be punished according to the law?”. Knowing the concerns of the youth, Mr Ngo Quoc Khanh gave thorough explanations to these questions because these days, addictive substances exist in many forms and can easily be injected into food.

Students excitedly asking follow-up question

In addition to the useful lessons taken from the seminar, the lecturer also appreciates the support and cooperation of the school and families to educate the students in the most effective way. Each individual needs to hold themselves accountable to their family and the society because our actions can have a great influence on the future. Also, it is essential that students learn about this issue from official sources to avoid encountering false propaganda.

Through a productive seminar with lecturer Ngo Quoc Khanh, the students have acquired useful knowledge on school-based drug prevention, broadening their horizons as well as becoming more aware of their responsibility to the community. Hopefully, we can maintain and further develop a healthy and civilized studying and working environment.

Translator: Trần Linh Ngân - English 2 2124

Reporter: Tran Ngoc Ha - Russia 2023