Abstract
M.Ed.
Drug abuse in secondary schools appears to be a major problem. Preliminary discussions with some learners and educators triggered the researcher to attempt making a research on this matter, since enormities of this problem has a negative impact towards the process of teaching and learning. This type of practice affects the behavioural pattern of individuals within educational institutions.
For example learners bring their parents’ revolvers to school to harm their classmates, in class they laugh continuously with no apparent reason, they remain behind with their school work, dress indecently, become arrogant, use vulgar language, rape girls, become disorderly, provoke other learners and start unnecessary fights.
The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate whether principals, educators, parents have the necessary knowledge and skills on how to detect the learner as being a drug abuser, how intervention takes place. Further, the research study also tries to determine whether the personnel and Learner Representative Council do check on the food that the vendors are selling to ascertain whether they don’t contain any harmful substances, that can cause a barrier in the learner’s mentality, of which at the end can encourage the learner to turn to crime as a means to survival.
Data was collected through a number of methods. Various community members of educational institutions like, principals parents, educators learners and the Gauteng Department of Educators official member, dealing with drugs were interviewed to inquire about their perceptions, feelings and opinions as far as it concerned about intervention strategies for drug abuse in secondary schools. What they recommend
should be done to facilitate change on causes of abusing drugs by learners, which strategies to be employed to curb this problem within secondary schools.
A thorough literature review was made to determine what other researchers discovered on the same phenomena. Feelings, perceptions and opinions were read throughout the interviews.
The participants proved to have a minimal knowledge about the practices of drugs within their schools and the society. By means of particular programmes designed by the school and the society, they can be empowered to open up, in order to provide assistance to the troubled children.
Prof. J.R. Debeila