Eswatini Youth and drugs - wake up!

BE warned! Your school-going, child could be on drugs or worse still, be a drug pusher!

Some schools around the country are allegedly battling drug abuse by pupils, and it has become a real and serious cause for concern.

In fact, as a matter of fact, if individual, parental, as well as national, collective efforts are not made to curb this nemesis to the future of our next generation, we have a ticking time bomb that will blow away the futures of our children to smithereens.

As a parent, are you privy to what your child does, before, during and after school hours? When they are on school holidays, are you aware of what they are up to as you toil away excruciating hours at work, doing your best, and making efforts to put food for the entire family on the table?

As parents, it is imperative that we confront, and pose to ourselves, crucial questions, like: Do we know for sure about, or can we confidently recognise the classic, tell-tale signs that might point to the fact that the ‘apple of your eye’ is not only, on the surface, deeply embroiled in educational studies, or doing school homework, but is, maybe, not on the side, also ‘studying’ how to get ‘high’...on habit-forming drugs?

I had a very interesting, but shocking chat over the phone with one head teacher who is in charge of a school on the outskirts of the bustling city, Manzini.

The city, as many of us know, is where ‘everything happens’.

By ‘everything happens’, I mean where some people engage in a plethora of antisocial practices like being drug pushers; are slave to drug abuse; a city where it is a normal occurrence to conduct illicit deals, conclude them, and be loaded with cash.

Oh! Yes, the city of Manzini is also notorious for being the crime hub of the country.

My phone call to the head teacher was in connection with a disciplinary matter involving my son who was caught with his cellphone in his possession.

As we know, most schools do not allow pupils to bring cellphones to school.

APOLOGIZED

I made several attempts to talk to him about the matter, and he apologised several times, informing me that he will engage with me later, since he was having a meeting with some parents over matters of misconduct by some of the schools’ pupils.

He told me that some pupils had been caught in possession of dagga. He then dropped the bombshell, and shocker: Some of the higher grades pupils are drug pushers, and are using some of the lower grades pupils to smuggle drugs inside the school!

In fact, he went on to convey his suspicions that there could be a sinister, and well organised syndicate behind all this immoral, and undesirable activity.

I could not believe it! He told me that it is real, and he mentioned that since the week began, he had been having a hectic period, addressing this serious matter with parents of the suspected, involved pupils.

As society, we cannot deny the fact that our children are exposed to many antisocial, and immortal habits.

These habits mostly take the form of engaging in teenage love affairs, teen sexual encounters with their peers - and, shockingly, even with older men; some who are as old as their fathers or even grandfathers.

These males who sadistically pry on gullible children are popularly known as ‘sugar daddies’, and provide them with the ‘fry-ncincis’ - the finer things in life, like buying them expensive, electronic gadgets, give them pocket money to do their hair, buy expensive, fashionable clothing, etcetera.

LUXURIOUS

Such sexual predators generally sponsor our children with life’s luxurious amenities, even their parents can hardly afford! The motive behind such immoral gestures? Sexual encounters.

It is of vital importance that parents closely monitor the behaviour of their children, instill moral values, and yes, due to the daily, hectic work life we engage in, reserve special family, gathering occasions where they could interact with their offspring, for instance, during family lunch or dinners; converse about day-to-day issues affecting children.

As a parent, how do you recognise the classic signs that your child could be on drugs?

According to https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/articles/warning-signs-teen-substance-use, as a parent, be wary of, in case your child exhibits signs of, for example:

i) Losing interest in activities they once enjoyed

ii) Dropping old friends for a new group

iii) Acting despondent, aggressive or angry

iv) Sleeping more than usual

v) Breaking rules

vi) Exhibiting physical changes like sudden weight loss, frequent nosebleeds, bloody or watery eyes, or shakes and tremor.

“These are behavioural, and physical signs that your child could be misusing medications, or using drugs or drinking alcohol. Knowing the signs and symptoms of teen drug use can help you better understand if or when you should involve a professional...”

SCARY

Another school headteacher I spoke to, mentioned something very despairing, and scary, a growing, immoral practice by some students which is lesbianism.

She cautioned that there could be more to pupils’ study groups, than meets the eye.

In her school, she is investigating escalating rumours of suspected practise in lesbianism by female pupils who use the guise of study groups in homes of fellow pupils to allegedly engage in lesbianism.

We are presently living during evil, and dangerous times.

The devil - that enemy of mankind our Lord Jesus Christ, persistently warned us about, is on the warpath. Our young children are easy prey to his heinous machinations.

He takes advantage of the young minds of children to plant seeds of immorality. As society, and parents, we need to be very vigilant.

It is of vital importance that we help, and support school teachers curb this dangerous nemesis to our childrens’ future by monitoring, and act upon strange behavioural patterns in our children.

Read what one, school teacher engaged, had to say:

“What are some of the commonly available drugs in e-Swatini? They start from the simple cigarette, to dagga, alcohol all the way up to the harder stuff like cocaine, heroin and mandrax.

“I must confess though that I have never seen the harder drugs, but one gets to hear stories that they are available in the two major cities in the country.

LEGALLY

I“Cigarettes and alcohol are legally available so long as you’re above the required age. The question that could be asked is that: is the age restriction requirement adhered to? As for dagga, it’s illegal to possess it, regardless of one’s age, but the way people are engaged in it, one may think that it’s legal.

“The streams next to my home are littered with dagga fields. I believe that it’s the case in all the communities in the country.

Now, with such a high proliferation of drugs in the country, what are the effects to school kids?

“Generally, school kids start experimenting in drugs when they are in Form II or III.

“It’s the age where they form strong bonds with their peers, as they experience puberty stages.

“If one were to take a closer look, most riots in schools are initiated by students in these classes. Do drugs play a part in this?

“Chances are high that they do, though no scientific research can attest to that.

“I have worked in a place where schools are side-by-side with bars and bottle stores.

“Students from these schools ditch their uniforms after school and go straight to the bars. Some bars try to turn them away, but they hang around, watching television through the windows

“As soon as these students finish school, they don’t waste time, they enter into the establishment without a care.

“In such places, primary school kids collect discarded liquor bottles and sell them to the bars. What if they start tasting the remains in the bottles?

“By the time the school kids are in high school (Form IV and V) their pathways are already set.

“Those who are future smokers and alcohol drinkers are now well established. Let me put a disclaimer here again, no scientific research has been done on this.

“What I have presented above it is from a lived experience. It would be interesting if a proper study was carried out.

“In conclusion, drugs such as cigarettes, dagga and alcohol have a huge detrimental effect on our students. I have seen them reduce merit class students into second or third class students.

“These drugs are readily available to students. Every Friday, students pool together their financial resources that they save throughout the week, and buy copious amounts of alcohol and cigarettes, indulge themselves in some hideout in these drugs.

“Anything can happen there because members of both sexes attend to these binges.

“We’ve got a major problem on our hands in combating the scourge of cheap drugs available to our young people...” It is that bad?

Finally, I chatted with the Minister of Education, the Honourable Lady Mabuza, asking her about her ministry’s sentiments over this worrying issue.

She was very accommodating to yours truly, and these are excerpts of our conversation: “Well, I would have to engage with the relevant officers in the ministry but, I know the problem has been exaggerated by the closing of schools for too long.

REPORTED

“Head teachers were asked to engage counsellors in their respective schools. I know that some are doing that as they have reported so… it’s very bad…there are too many challenges now than ever before…..will engage when I get to work. I have not been well...(I wished her speedy recovery).

“I will Alex, thanks….will see how we support the schools more so because the children are now also selling (drugs?) to others in the different schools….We will need the support of parents and all the other stakeholders in education.

“We will see.. but, we will give it our best attention. Thank you for raising it” .

Well. There you have it.

My plea as a parent and social influencer is:

Let us support school Heads; the Ministry of Education, and our children, and help put a screeching halt to this evil practice.

Have a blessed and safe Sunday. Peace! Shalom!