Government turns blind eye as drugs ruin schools

I was shocked to read about dagga smoking at Leondale Secondary School in Ekurhuleni. Thirty-six pupils are said to have been caught smoking dagga on school premises and merrily dancing.

It is wrong and unacceptable of pupils to smoke drugs at school, but I also blame our confused government, more so after it approved the growing of dagga by citizens despite the known societal problems cannabis brings.

This scenario is like trying to chase away a fierce dog while dangling a saucy bone in front of its face. How do you approve dagga given its known problems, especially among the youth?

I advise our short-sighted government to scrutinise its decisions carefully before implementing them. Drugs are not good for school children as they induce craziness in the head and make one take wrong decisions that will land them in trouble.

The department of education must start taking education of our children seriously and embark on ways to prevent infiltration of drugs into our schools. In the first place, there should be security guards at the gates to search the bags and pockets of pupils before they get into the school’s premises.

Secondly, teachers should walk around the school and also check the toilets to see pupils don’t take drugs. This could be carried out by teachers in their free periods.

Thirdly, principals as the head of the school, should oversee all activities at their schools.

Fourthly, the SGB (school governing body) should take disciplinary measures against pupils who bring drugs to school, either for their own use or to sell to other children. If an outside dealer sells drugs to the school children, such a person should have a case opened against him so he gets arrested as soon as possible.

Schools should be for the education of our children, not havens for drug dealers and users. Since corporal punishment got abolished, children’s behaviour has got worse and worse as they disrespect older people. If children fail to respect their own parents at home, how do you expect them to respect their teachers?

Some teachers too are to blame as they set a bad example by smoking dagga and drinking alcohol in the communities. In our times, teachers were held in high esteem and they too made sure they lived clean lives in and outside the school environment.

Today, some teachers conduct relationships with their young and vulnerable charges, going to the extent of making them pregnant.

Dear pupils, never rely on substances to boost your brains or to look cool; using drugs and alcohol will only capsize your future and dreams. Look around in your neighbourhoods and see the faces of adults who are dependent on alcohol; they are not a pretty sight.

Research shows that teens who drink by the age of 13 have a 43% chance of becoming alcoholic adults.

As parents, we should also avoid negative conduct, such as fighting in front of our children, as such behaviour is likely to lead to stress for the children, leading them vulnerable to substance abuse.

Finally, our schools should never be even the last place for substance abuse. We must not hear again about happenings which took place at Leondale Secondary.