Editorial Comment: Protect children against drug abuse

REPORTS about drug abuse which rocked Dominican Con­vent High School in Harare are very disturbing.

The elite school announced last Thursday that it had expelled eight senior students found in possession of crystal meth, vape, and weed, among others.

It is the others where the school has to come clean also. Which are these drugs that are not named? Is it that they have no names or these unnamed others are more hard drugs compared to the named ones?

Further reports say the school also demoted all prefects, while students have been banned from visiting Queen of Hearts or Samy Levy’s Vil­lage without being accompanied by their parents.

The girls’ drug problem case was unearthed during a leadership camp for senior students in Nyanga from January 12-15 when some were caught red-handed taking drugs.

The sad development comes at a time the Government and other stakeholders are making great strides in fighting drug and sub­stance abuse in society, particularly among the youth.

What makes the Dominican Con­vent High School case sad is that it involves young girls, who are probably from well-up families.

By expelling the students, the school sent a strong message to other girls that the same fate could befall them should be tempted to also try using drugs.

However, there is a need for the school authorities to work with the police in conducting further investi­gations to establish the real source of drugs.

Whoever is supplying drugs to stu­dents should be arrested and brought to justice because the future of our chil­dren is now at stake.

We can’t allow drug peddlers to take over our schools and ruin the future of our children, as most parents sacrifice to raise fees for their children, only for cartels to try to turn an entire genera­tion into junkies.

The Dominican Convent case has exposed the laxity of our laws where indiscipline has now taken root at most of our schools.

Students no longer respect teach­ers because there is basically nothing a teacher can do to them. Parents are out hassling and spend very little or no time at all with their children, and that disconnect is the root cause of the indiscipline that plagues our schools today.

And in addition, Government must tighten anti-drugs laws to make them bite. Our laws are to lenient and that’s why peddlers are turning our country into one huge drug den.

Let’s borrow from a leaf on how some Asian and Muslim countries have almost eradicated the drug menace.

We should never allow drug ped­dlers to ruin the future of our children through drugs. The Dominican Con­vent case has exposed what could be something rampant in other schools.

maybe soe schools are sweeping the issue under the carpet to protect their images instead of coming out in the open to seek help.

Boarding schools where students love to experiment could pose a grave drugs danger and authorities have to on alert to nip it in the bud.

The police must swoop on all drug peddlers, who are known in society.

How they continue to roam the streets while destroying society with drugs boggles the mind. Even some teachers are not innocent in this drugs issue.

A collective effort is needed to ensure that we protect our children against drug peddlers.

Students caught on the wrong side should be rehabilitated. Some of the expelled Dominican Convent stu­dents could have been victims of peer pressure, who just happened to give in during a moment they were busted