Story by Fungai Jachi
As part of its intensified efforts to combat drug and substance abuse, the Ministry of Health and Child Care is conducting a targeted campaign in primary schools, to educate learners about the dangers and risks associated with drug abuse.
Primary school learners are vulnerable to drug and substance abuse, prompting the Ministry of Health and Child Care to join forces with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to educate learners about the dangers of drug abuse.
In an interview with ZBC News, Mr Tonderai Kadzere, Director of Policy Planning and Health Economics in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, emphasised the significance of this collaborative effort in protecting young learners from the risks of substance abuse.
“We realised that we can not talk of education without talking about health and so we are taking advantage of schools as learners will be in one place. We want learners to take health issues seriously and so through the Schools Health Policy, we are making inroads,” he said.
Educationists believe the collaboration will go a long way in curbing the abuse of drugs.
“We want to catch them young and having experts talk to them will make them understand better. If the message is instilled in them at a young age I am sure it will help. We have also introduced counselling sessions in schools so that we deal with mental health issues amongst learners,” Provincial Education Director for Harare Metropolitan Province, Mr Joram Mupunza said.
Harvard Junior School headmistress, Mrs Loice Magweba noted, “As schools we realised that the health of the child matters first, so we are taking the issue of drug abuse seriously. We are equally excited about the feeding programme as it shows the health of the child matters.”
To combat the growing problem of drug and substance abuse, the government has implemented a range of initiatives, including the establishment of a dedicated drug fund to support prevention and treatment efforts.
