adminTHE rate at which members of the public are taking illegal drugs is a great cause for concern.
Besides taking banned drugs and other narcotic stuff, there is a general increase in the abuse of even drugs that are allowed to be consumed.
Youths are taking dagga more often while illicit beer brews like Zed, which comes from neighbouring Mozambique, are awash in the high-density suburbs.
Several stories have been written of people who die after an overdose of these substances.
It is the duty of the Government, the family unit and school authorities to ensure that pupils grow up with the best behavioural traits that are expected of a productive Zimbabwean. At home parents must make sure they monitor the behaviour of their children by way of dissuading them from following bad habits and encourage them to be good citizens.
Schools must follow up and mould the child into a literate being who understands the purpose of life and the dangers associated with either abusing drugs or taking banned substances.
Elsewhere in this issue we carry a story in which seven school girls were recently arrested by the police after they were caught red-handed smoking dagga.
The girls, who are aged between 14 and 16, had the courage to smoke mbanje in broad day light in the company of two other boys who bolted from the scene when police officers ambushed them.
Yes, this is a form of juvenile delinquency but it is shocking to have girls behaving that badly.
What it means is that these pupils are coming from homes where their parents don’t care to give them a few hints on living straight. Maybe the authorities at their respective schools have taken a-leave-it-like-that approach with respect to instilling discipline on pupils.
We agree with Acting Manicaland education director Mr Andrew Chigumira when he says an inquiry must be conducted to get to the bottom of the mbanje saga.
“This kind of behaviour is uncalled for at our schools, let alone when girls abuse drugs to such proportions. I am contacting the responsible district education officer right away and I will inform you of developments that will follow. What I am sure of is that we are going to inquire and we need full reports of what transpired,” he said.
It is our considered view that the law enforcement agents and the school authorities must get to the bottom of all this and track the source of the dagga.
For as long as the person who supplied these school girls with the banned drug is still roaming the streets, a similar case is soon to unfold.
That person will hide for sometime but will soon come out and trade on the streets again.
We are convinced that if Mr Chigumira institutes the inquiry he promised to undertake, the ministry will be in a position to pick up the pieces and ascertain whether its schools are being run well.
We feel that our teachers are doing a disservice in terms of instilling good behaviour in pupils. In some instances you hear of cases where teachers booze or smoke cigarettes together with pupils they teach.
You then wonder what kind of advice such teachers impart to pupils.
As parents we expect the best out of our children and news of school girls smoking mbanje is hard to believe.
If this kind of uncouth behaviour is left to continue, as is the case at the moment, our schools will churn out thugs and thieves.
There is need by the teachers to stick to the basics and treat these pupils in the manner they would want their own children to be raised.
Online Reporter