Africa-Press – Botswana. Elderly members of the society who use students as distributors of drugs and other illegal substances within the school premises have been castigated for their actions which end up compromising the health and academic performances of learners.
A psychiatrist nurse from Scottish Livingstone Mr Kelebone Moatshe said it had been established that the use of habit-forming drugs was one of the factors that fueled mental illness among the youth which was equally becoming a concern in the country.
Mr Moatshe was speaking during a workshop to educate learners about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse in Molepolole on Friday. The workshop held under the theme: Creating Vibes with booze was attended by junior and secondary school learners.
He said what was also of concern was that the community was still in denial that mental illness exists adding that as a result, most people with psychiatric illness end up seeking solace from habit-forming substance whenever they felt neglected. “Psychiatric patients are being stigmatized, neglected since no one wants to associate with them,” he said.
Molepolole Police Station Commander Superintendent Benedict Matlho mentioned that the use of illicit drugs in schools had been identified as the main factor that fueled poor performances, mental problems and expulsion from schools.
“These drugs contribute to anti-social behaviour, crimes and disorder in communities,” he said adding that drugs trafficked in the area end up in the hands of the community and learners.
Narcotics Fauna and Flora Investigations Officer (NFFI), Sub Inspector Fitlhanang Kalake said the most commonly used drugs in Botswana were dagga, methcathinone (CAT), crack, cocaine (rock) and heroin.
Mr Kalake said even though government had passed the illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Act of 2018 to intensify investigations and impose harsher penalties for drug dealers, this was not sufficient to deal with the problem.
He, therefore, said parents should also instill positive values in their children from an early age, as children learn by example and imitation.
Mr Kalake said raising a child and teaching them good values provided a foundation for a child’s character and shape the way they interact with the world.
He said Botswana Police Service would continue collaborating with other stakeholders on public awareness campaigns targeting schools to make them a drug-free environment.
Kweneng District Commissioner Mrs Berenice Berman-Mosime said schools in Kweneng District were among those with high statistics of drug and alcohol abuse incidents. She said they have reports of students injured by others and while some committed serious crimes under the influence of drugs thereby, leading to disruption of one’s studies.
Ms Berman-Mosime also emphasized that the environment where students lived could make them vulnerable to destructive substances. She thus urged parents and other stakeholders to intervene in moulding children to have a bright future as well as dealing with drugs in the country.
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