Drugs crisis in schools

‘Principals must help us eradicate scourge’

THE Department of Education in KZN is appealing to principals to work with them and the police to clamp down on drugs in schools.

Its spokesperson, Muzi Mhlambi, said pupils found in possession of drugs are counselled, with the last option being expulsion.

“As a department, we encourage principals to conduct raids with the police to root out this problem. Those found guilty of carrying substances must not be beaten or assaulted but placed in a tribunal which must decide the way forward.”

He was speaking after allegations that pupils were beaten recently when five men entered Effingham Secondary School and accused some of them of dealing in drugs. It was alleged the children were stripped and assaulted with a knuckle duster.

The principal, Inderan Govender, was escorted off the property a day later after parents demanded answers.

According to the Department of Basic Education’s Drug Testing Guide, more than one in 10 of all pupils nationally report having used dagga or heroine.

Nearly the same number of Grade 8 pupils report having used cocaine. Other research, according to the guide, showed that over one in 10 Grade 8 pupils have come to school high on dagga.

Mohammed Shah, from the Phoenix Local Drug Action Committee, who has accompanied police at raids at high schools, described the situation as “frightening”.

“It is frightening when you see boys, fresh out of primary school, in possession of dagga and mandrax. This problem has been going on for decades.”

He accused drug lords of using pupils to sell narcotics in school and the reward,

he added, were a couple of R100 notes.

“It’s a challenging time for teachers but it is essential for staff to work within the ambit of the law.”

Sam Pillay, from the Chatsworth Anti-Drug Forum, advised that government schools take a leaf out of the books of private schools.

“Violence and drugs at private schools are seemingly not as common. If pupils are caught with drugs, they are immediately dealt with and in some cases expelled. In government schools, pupils know they will get a slap on the wrist and in most cases their parents will side with them and it will be over.”

According to the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca), children as young as 12 are addicted to drugs.

“Drugs in school is reaching a crisis point. We have pupils who are in primary school addicted to dagga and in high school there are learners who have been employed as runners for drug lords in the community,” said the organisation’s Walter Peterson.

He said expulsion was a deterrent but it was only the Department of Education that could made a decision on whether this was the appropriate punishment.

Peterson said he had visited schools in KZN and principals and teachers are at their wits end trying to address these issues.

“Bad behaviour in the classroom is a result of the drug abuse and it holds back the class from learning.”