‘Teachers must search bags of students in fight against drug abuse’ – Ghana Education Service

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC )’s recent research stated that drug abuse is on the rise in the basic and secondary schools across Ghana.

The perennial fight to curb it has not yielded any positive results, as students continue to fall in love with the deadly drug abuse.

Dr Apaak promised to fix SHS problems when he assumed office, and one of the major problems bedevilling the nation’s education at the basic and secondary levels is the use of unlawful and harmful drugs among students.

The fight against it has been reawakened with the Ghana Education Service calling on all stakeholders to get involved in the massive fight.

The Deputy Education Minister, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, on Citinews on Wednesday, made it clear that, as part of the plans to curb drug abuse, teachers must monitor and search students’ bags for drugs.

“So, within our context, what we are doing through the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana TVET Service is to call on teachers to be very vigilant in monitoring the behaviours of their learners. And if necessary, they should search their bags”, he said.

Dr Apaak continued, “And remember that since we took over the reins of governance, as part of our efforts to re-instil discipline in our educational system, we have given managers of our secondary institutions, in particular, the full authority to search the luggage and other bags and trunks and chop boxes that students bring and have in their dormitories,” he said.

The use of drugs by students is becoming alarming as it has become the main cause of indiscipline among students in school.