By Eric Lungai
Vihiga,Kenya: Teachers in Vihiga County have mooted a programme aimed at fighting against drug abuse in learning institutions.
The programme that will be run under the umbrella Kenya Anti-Drugs Association (Kesada) will comprise of teachers, students and other stakeholders.
Speaking during the launch of the association yesterday, the coordinator, Mr Chris Mumelo Temba, noted that many students succumb to drug abuse because they lack proper guidance.
Mr Temba observed that in most schools, teachers find it tricky to deal with the drug menace because of the challenges that are involved as the youth are protected by law, particularly the Children’s Act and the Constitution.
He further noted that government agencies that fight against drug abuse had no clear mandate in dealing with the threat in learning institutions and if they do, they lack capacity and goodwill.
Kegoye Secondary School Principal Peter Vikiru noted that the school calendar allows leaners to stay in school for ten months in a year and take a break of two months, which is too long and likely to cause stress and indiscipline on the part of learners.
Moral fabric
He said the new technology and interruption of the society’s moral fabric were factors that had made drug and substance abuse to escalate, thus the need for a mechanism of tackling them.
“Teachers are not only poorly remunerated, but also not trained to deal with such weighty issues and education managers only issue policies but hardly make follow up to ensure their implementation,” he said.
Kesada, therefore, was mooted with the chief aim of fighting drug and substance abuse and its total elimination.
It is an all-inclusive organisation that firmly believes that everyone should stand to be counted in the war against drug and substance abuse.
The organisation intends to work on the attitudes the people have towards drugs, and plans to help the youth to change through education and training, guidance and counselling, among other approaches in eliminating drug abuse.
