Pretoria – The Department of Basic Education, together with the social and law enforcement agencies, has launched a campaign to ensure schools are drug and alcohol free zones.
“Alcohol and drugs are significant barriers to both teaching and learning. Abuse of these substances has been linked to academic difficulties, absenteeism, and drop-out from schooling thus impacting negatively on the attainment of quality basic education,” said Gugu Ndebele, the Deputy Director-General for Social Mobilisation and Support at the department.
She said drugs were associated with a host of high risk behaviours including unprotected sex, crime and violence, traffic accidents, and mental and physical health problems.
The campaign will target secondary schools within hotspot areas where alcohol and drug abuse are prevalent. The focus will be on learners in Grades 8-10 because of their “heightened vulnerability to alcohol and drug abuse during the transition from primary to secondary school”.
According to the department, this life stage coincides with the onset of puberty where developmentally, experimentation with risk behaviours increases. In addition, exposure to risk factors such as peer pressure also increases during this transitional period.
The department has developed a National Strategy for the Prevention and Management of Alcohol and Drug Use amongst Learners in Schools.
“The strategy focuses largely on the prevention of alcohol and drug use. It creates an enabling environment for those learners who have become addicted to alcohol and drugs to access treatment, care and support services,” Ndebele said.
The department, through schools, will promote learner-based interventions together with community activities to raise awareness on the impact of alcohol and drug abuse on schools.
In 2010, government established an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to combat alcohol and drug abuse in South Africa. The IMC aims to strengthen government’s strategy to combat alcohol and drug abuse to mobilise individuals, groups and community structures to actively participate and support government in its efforts. – SAnews.gov.za
