Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Wednesday September 14, 2011.
HEAD OF Communication at the Food and Drugs Board (FDB), James Lartey has made a passionate appeal to young people particularly students not to venture into narcotic drugs since it could destroy their future career.
He said “through new friends, peer pressure, broken homes among others, the youth who are mostly students have adopted all sorts of lifestyles but it is up to the elderly in society to nurture them and always give them sound advice so that the future of the country would not be in jeopardy.”
Mr. Lartey gave the advice as guest speaker at a thanksgiving service held for graduands of the Light of the World School Complex at New Aplaku near Weija in the Ga South District of the Greater Accra Region recently.
The school presented awards to 70 candidates in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) who scored distinction this academic year.
Mr. Lartey said research has shown that the key risk periods for drug abuse are during major transitions in children’s lives, adding “the first big transition for children is when they leave the security of the family and enter school.”
He said students are most likely to encounter drugs for the first time when they advance from basic to senior high school explaining “when they enter high school, adolescents face additional social, emotional and educational challenges.
It is at this point that they may be exposed to a greater availability of drugs, drug abusers and social activities involving drugs. These challenges can increase the risk that they will abuse alcohol, tobacco and other substances.”
Mr. Lartey said “it is known that about 70 per cent of drug users who die by age 45 are those who start drugs by the age of 15 to 17 years.”
He said the time had come for all stakeholders to unite and support government to tackle the demand for illicit drugs to ensure that Ghana is free from the sale of narcotic, counterfeit, expired and unwholesome drugs.
He also said parents need to rise up and take good care of their children by nurturing them to become responsible adults saying “as parents we have a huge responsibility to protect children and we should do it to glorify our Maker.”
Esther Hamilton, Headmistress of the school said the educational module being pursued in the country does not appear to benefit children.
“It is obvious that not all children were born to be science, general arts, visual arts and even technical based pupils. They do therefore miss out of any scheme to nurture them as we are experiencing in the second cycle schools at the moment.”
She said in as much as the junior high school education was intended to identify the potentials of each child, it had failed due to the lack of the needed logistics and commitment through its implementation.
Mrs. Hamilton said it is not the numerous educational reviews that are needed but rather strict adherence to the identification of the individual’s talents and developing them for the sake of national interest.
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