No place in schools for repeat drug offenders – Steenkamp
Education minister Sanet Steenkamp has warned that learners repeatedly found abusing drugs could be removed from the formal education system, as the government prepares to tighten its stance on substance abuse in schools.
Speaking during an engagement meeting on Friday between the Standing Committee on Education, Youth, Civic Relations and Community Development and the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Sport and Culture, Steenkamp said the ministry is reaching a breaking point.
“At some point, the ministry will have to take a firm stance and say, well, you have been given as a learner several chances. You do not have a place any longer in formal education,” she said.
She stressed that such a move would require backing from parents, communities and political leaders across all levels.
Steenkamp further cautioned that drug use in schools is not only a disciplinary issue but a serious safety concern.
“When a child is found with hard drugs in their bloodstream, the school environment is no longer safe for that learner or others. These are the difficult decisions the ministry will need to take. While our aim is to educate every child, regardless of their background, parents and learners must understand that there are consequences when drugs are found at school,”
“We work closely with the Namibian Police and the Ministry of Gender Equality, as well as social workers. These teams have been trained under the “Keep Me Safe” campaign, which is rolled out in regions where such issues are prevalent and where schools frequently report problems. In such cases, a full government-led team, accompanied by UNICEF, is deployed,” she said.
The minister noted that two devices for drug testing have been approved by the Ministry of Health.
“The procurement of these devices will be left to schools, as needs are context-based and depend on the number of devices each school requires. That said, drugs and alcohol in schools remain a major concern. At some point, the ministry will have to take a firm stance and say that a learner who has been given several chances may no longer have a place in formal education. When that happens, we will need the support of parents, communities and political leadership at all levels,”
She added that at present, teachers already feel they are not adequately protected when it comes to discipline.
“This is partly due to the regrettable behaviour of some parents who intimidate teachers or confront them at schools instead of working collaboratively to address disciplinary issues. This is something that requires a full understanding, but we cannot continue to be as flexible as we have been,”
“They are trained to engage learners across all grades on issues such as bullying, intimidation, school violence, sexual violence, as well as drug and alcohol abuse”.
The minister further noted that this issue has consumed much of the ministry’s time.
“However, we are now at the stage where the minister will gazette clear guidelines on the approved devices, testing procedures, timing, and who must be present, along with clear communication to all schools,”
In January, The Namibian reported that Regional director of education Sophia Fredericks has blamed the region’s poor academic performance on the consumption of drugs and alcohol among pupils, as well as teacher absenteeism.
This followed the Kunene region being ranked in 14th position for the second consecutive year in the national Grade 11 results and ninth position in the Grade 12 results.
The region was ranked 14th last year, with only 159 pupils qualifying for AS Level.
“Schools in the Kunene region are challenged with ill-disciplined pupils who are prone to drug and alcohol [abuse] and who do not show up to school because they were busy in bars until midnight,” Fredericks said at the time
She further attributed the poor performance to the lack of inspection of teachers which ensures that pupils have adequately covered the syllabus in Grade 10 and have done revision in Grade 11.
