| dc.description.abstract | The findings showed that youths between ages 15-20 were at more risk to indulge in drug and substance abuse and that male students are more likely to indulge into drugs and substances abuse as compared to their female counterparts. The study also revealed that marijuana, miraa, alcohol and cigarettes are the mostly abused drugs by secondary school students in the slum areas. It also showed that drugs and substance abuse has eroded the core values among students such as honesty, tolerance, peace, responsibility, hence affecting their social skills development. Another important finding was that students who abuse drugs tend to experience truancy, being absent-minded and resulting to low concentration in class. There is also a lot of absenteeism, incompleteness of class work and general poor performance in academics among such students. As a result, a lot of students involved in drug and substance have been sent home on academic grounds leading to school drop-outs. The study also established that most of the counseling and guidance teachers are not adequately trained and do not have the knowledge on how to handle drug and substance related issues. More so knowledge on the effects of drug and substance abuse is assumed to be common which is not the case given the magnitude of drug abuse in schools and the larger society and hence the need to have quality information about such effects. The study concluded that slum life, peer pressure, congestion as well as poverty are recipe to drug and substance abuse among students. Depreciating social morals, family disintegration and easy accessibility to drug also contribute to the menace. The study recommends increased public awareness campaigns to bring out dangers posed by drug and substance abuse involving media, civic education and all the stakeholders. More so there is need for the Ministry of Education to incorporate drug and substance education in school syllabus right from Primary school. There is need to have professional counselors in schools and also to adequately equip teachers with the necessary skills to handle students who are abusing drug and substances. Finally, the Ministry of Education should come up with a clear policy on drug and substance abuse in schools. | |
