Nairobi - Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) yesterday said it had banned smoking by its officials, as it launched a drive to rid schools of drugs.

The union's national officials asked the Government to implement the 2001 report on students discipline which proposes ways of tackling drug abuse in schools.

Secretary general Francis Ng'ang'a and chairman Joseph Chirchir accused the Government of not protecting the youth against tobacco and alcohol.

The Government, they said, had allowed tobacco companies to advertise and even sponsor student activities.

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Nairobi

Over One-Fifth Of Pupils Have Drunk Alcohol, It Says

More than a fifth (22.7 per cent) of primary school children in Kenya have taken alcohol, a figure that rises to more than three-fourths (68 per cent) for university students.

A large number of students across all age groups have been exposed to alcohol, tobacco, miraa (khat), glue sniffing, bhang (marijuana) and even hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The rampant drug abuse in learning institutions is confirmed by an unpublished study commissioned by the National Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (Nacada).

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How the Battle On Drug Abuse May Be Won

Nairobi -- Job creation is one way of reducing drug abuse, the draft report recommends. Revamping agriculture is also proposed as a way of reducing poverty among the youth. The report recommends that the Government should tackle the maize borer weevil to reduce crop destruction. Further, the study calls for action on video showrooms where films marked adults only are screened.

Drugs are also sold in the video rooms, the majority of which target the youth. The National Agency for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse is urged to formulate policies for teachers and school heads to gain knowledge on how to deal with drug abuse in schools. Interesting findings were reported by the study regarding the behaviour of drug abusers.

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