EDITORIAL: The scourge of drug and alcohol abuse
It is reported in this publication today that school-going learners as young as seven years old are falling victim to substance abuse.
There is no denying that drug and alcohol abuse destroys Namibian families every year, and children are often caught in the crossfire.
Our country is not only grappling with the toll of heavy drinking, especially among the youth, but drug abuse is now also widespread among teenage addicts.
We have to admit that substance abuse has the potential to drag teenagers far away from the happy and purposeful lives they deserve. We have also read how drugs, alcohol and just plain boredom have been leading Namibians down dark roads filled with sexual experimentation.
Children of school-going age are falling prey to substance abuse and this has been attributed to chaotic behaviour at schools including ill-discipline, aggressiveness, hostility, disrespect and vandalism.
We are in total concurrence with the education authorities and experts who believe that there should be a critical understanding of the underlying causes that lead to high rates of violence, especially in a school environment. Coming up with better strategies aimed at combatting substance abuse is a mammoth task - for both parents and teachers.
What we can ill-afford is for drugs and alcohol to destroy the country’s future by robbing the very leaders of tomorrow of their drive and purpose.
There is no denying that drug and alcohol abuse destroys Namibian families every year, and children are often caught in the crossfire.
Our country is not only grappling with the toll of heavy drinking, especially among the youth, but drug abuse is now also widespread among teenage addicts.
We have to admit that substance abuse has the potential to drag teenagers far away from the happy and purposeful lives they deserve. We have also read how drugs, alcohol and just plain boredom have been leading Namibians down dark roads filled with sexual experimentation.
Children of school-going age are falling prey to substance abuse and this has been attributed to chaotic behaviour at schools including ill-discipline, aggressiveness, hostility, disrespect and vandalism.
We are in total concurrence with the education authorities and experts who believe that there should be a critical understanding of the underlying causes that lead to high rates of violence, especially in a school environment. Coming up with better strategies aimed at combatting substance abuse is a mammoth task - for both parents and teachers.
What we can ill-afford is for drugs and alcohol to destroy the country’s future by robbing the very leaders of tomorrow of their drive and purpose.
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Namibian Sun
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