A select list of schools across Punjab has been chosen to participate in the fifth round of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS-5), a nationwide school-based study aimed at understanding patterns of tobacco use and related risk factors among adolescents.The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab, has written to all District Education Officers (Secondary) and heads of the selected 66 schools in the state, directing them to extend full cooperation for the smooth conduct of the survey. The communication followed a letter from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Punjab.According to the SCERT letter, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is conducting the survey across the country, with the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), Chennai, designated as the National Nodal Agency for its implementation. The school-based survey will cover students of Classes 8, 9, and 10, aged between 13 and 15 years, and will assess their exposure to tobacco use, peer pressure, and second-hand smoking, among other risk factors. The survey is to be conducted in selected schools across Punjab between August and December 2026.Amritsar leads the initiative with the highest participation count at 9 selected schools, followed by Ludhiana with 7 schools, and Jalandhar with 6 institutions participating. Both Hoshiarpur and Patiala will see survey drives across 5 designated schools each, matching the coverage in Sangrur. Additionally, 3 schools each have been earmarked in Barnala, Bathinda, and Muktsar Sahib.