Effects of drug and substance abuse on academic performance of students in public secondary by schools a case study of Mwala sub-county, Machakos county

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study will be to investigate effects of drugs and substance abuse occasioned by drug abuse in secondary schools in Wamunyu Zone of Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County and the possible solutions to these challenges. According to NACADA, experimentation with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common. Unfortunately, teenagers often don't see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. They also have a tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience. Using alcohol and tobacco at a young age has negative health effects. While some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others will develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others. It is difficult to know which teens will experiment and stop and which will develop serious problems. Teenagers at risk for developing serious alcohol and drug problems include those with a family history of substance use disorders, who are depressed, who have low self- esteem, and who feel like they don't fit in or are out of the mainstream. After the study will be done, drug prevention programme will be put in place in the schools. Teachers in the guidance and counselling departments and BOM/PTA will be involved in guidance and counselling. To curb drug abuse, all the teacher counsellors and the deputy head teachers will be involved to enhance effective guidance and counselling and creating awareness among students. Since in secondary schools the cane is not used to discipline students, emphasis will be put on guidance and counselling to control indiscipline among the students. Students who are identified as drug abusers should not be expelled from schools but should be accepted in the community and be helped through guidance and counselling. This will ensure that all students are informed about dangers of drug abuse in order to make informed choices and improve their academic performance and prowess as well as get better careers in their future lives. Out of the 20 public secondary schools within the zone, ten schools will be purposively sampled, representing 50%. . Among them will be girls boarding, boys boarding, mixed day schools and mixed day and boarding schools. Questionnaire with both closed and open ended questions will be administered to the respondents, teachers, students and parents. The results will be presented in frequency distribution and percentages. Data analysis will be carried out using descriptive statistics used included frequency and percentages.