By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, May 26, GNA – The Danish Children Fund (DCF), a Denmark-based NGO supporting children’s education, has encouraged students to prioritise their education and desist misuse and abuse of drugs to enhance their holistic growth and development.
The call was made during a day’s sensitisation seminar on drugs abused for students in Tamale to help them make informed life choices and stay away from abusing drug substances.
The event, held under an initiative dubbed: “Youths in Focus,” brought together students, teachers and officials from the Ghana Police Service, Narcotics Control Commission and Ghana Education Service to educate young people on the dangers associated with drugs abused and their addiction trends.
It formed part of the organisation’s broader efforts to support the development and wellbeing of children and youth, particularly vulnerable children while addressing social challenges affecting education and child development.
Mr Benjamin Yin, Project Manager of DCF and Headmaster of Kalpohin SDA Basic School, speaking during the event, said the intervention was necessitated by increasing concerns over drugs abused among the youth in Tamale.
He said the organisation, which primarily focused on supporting needy children to remain in school, recognised the need to complement educational support with interventions that empowered young people to make responsible decisions.
He expressed optimism that the seminar would equip the students with knowledge to resist negative influences, especially peer pressure, which he identified as one of the major factors driving substance abuse among young people.
He said the organisation expected participants to leave the event better informed and empowered to stay away from drug misuse and addiction.
Mr Yin highlighted some achievements of the DCF in the education sector in Tamale and said the organisation currently sponsored 55 vulnerable children to remain in school,, most of whom were orphans.
He explained that out of the number, 23 beneficiaries were at Kalpohin SDA School, 18 at Tamale SDA School and 15 at Jakarayili School.
He said the support package included learning materials, food and other essential items to prevent school dropouts.
Beyond educational sponsorship, he said the organisation had invested in educational infrastructure to improve learning environments in beneficiary schools.
He said the organisation had constructed two classroom blocks for Kalpohin SDA School this year while a toilet facility was provided for the school last year. He added that at the Tamale SDA School, the organisation has aqa a Qatar constructed three classroom blocks and was undertaking similar interventions at Jakarayili.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Richard Akumi, Deputy Northern Regional Crime Officer, who addressed the students during the event, described the abuse of drugs among young people as a major challenge requiring collective action.
He said the Ghana Police Service had intensified efforts to tackle the abuse of drug in the region through law enforcement operations and community sensitisation programmes.
ASP Mr Akumi noted that the Northern Regional Police Command’s Special Operations Team had been carrying out operations across Tamale to dismantle drug hotspots and arrest suspects involved in drug-related activities.
He appealed to institutions and stakeholders to organise similar educational programmes and involve the Ghana Police Service to strengthen awareness creation efforts and stressed that parents had critical roles to play in preventing the abuse of drug among children.
ASP Mr Akumi attributed factors leading to the abuse of drugs to include broken homes, poor parental supervision, and the failure of parents to monitor their children’s movements and peer associations.
He urged parents to take active interest in the lives of their children and create safe environments to protect them from harmful influences.
Miss Danamata Abrewa, a Form Two student from Jakarayili, said the session had taught her that the misuse of drugs and substances could negatively affect one’s health and future, and advised her colleagues to avoid drug use and resist peer pressure.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Linda Asante Agyei