News

Education Ministry commits to curbing drug abuse in schools

Loop News

September 2, 2022 7:46 PM ET

3 mins read

The Education and Youth Ministry has assured that its intervention will be ramped up in short order and additional resources deployed, to curb drug abuse among secondary students locally.

The admission by the ministry’s Acting Permanent Secretary, Maureen Dwyer, comes in the wake of Rapid Situational Assessment on Drug Use in secondary schools conducted in May, which found that Molly, vaping and edibles are emerging as the most popular drugs being used by secondary students.

In addressing a press conference where the findings of the assessment were made public on Thursday, Dwyer said a budget of approximately $20 million had already been set aside to assist students in behaviour modification. 

The assessment also found that in addition to drug abuse, the students observed depression and suicide ideation among their peers. 

“The ministry’s intervention at the moment will have to be ramped up based on the findings here,” Dwyer said. 

“… As a ministry, at the moment… we had set aside $20 million for behaviour modification and counselling. Coming out of COVID, we understood that many of our children had undergone severe challenges in terms of depression and all sort of other things,” she stated. 

For her part, Acting Chief Education Officer, Dr Kasan Troupe, said the island’s guidance counsellors will have to be retained to deal with the issues relative to drug abuse in secondary schools. 

In elaborating, she pointed to a training budget in the Education Ministry, “to ensure our guidance counsellors are refreshed, and retooled.” 

Additionally, she said deans of disciplines will also need to be retooled.

“A part of this presentation will definitely be a part of the wide-scale sensitisation with our guidance counsellors, and our helping professionals in the field. 

“So, yes. We have to retarget the resources and where we need additional resources in light of what we just heard, we may have to relocate to make sure that our students are safe,” declared Troupe.