Kathorus MAIL applauds the recent arrest of a 40-year-old mother for selling drugs at the gates of a primary school on the West Rand. Undoubtedly, she is definitely not the only one involved in this sordid business, nor will she be the last drug peddler to be arrested outside the premises of a primary school.
In fact, there are several hundred drug peddlers at other schools in other areas where young children are being exposed to drugs and other contraband. This drug scourge needs to be nipped in the bud before it develops into a cancerous social ill that will destroy the lives of young children.
The problem is believed to be so huge and widely spread that some schools rely on regular searches of students by police. The sad part is that with the drugs comes the issue of violence, bullying and school gang-warfare, events no young child needs to experience given the high crime and violence rate in the country.
Although most of the violence and the criminality amongst learners are both practised at schools, child psychologists, as well as the teachers, believe many of the children are simply re-hashing actual events and behaviours they witness at their homes.
According to teachers who were approached for comments by Kathorus MAIL, the issues of drugs, violence and crime in general, need serious intervention by education authorities. Worse still, most teachers feel their lives have been placed in serious danger by the new phenomenon of classroom violence.
Recently, a video of a female learner throwing her books at her class teacher, who is seen to be calmly walking away to avoid confrontation, is one of the many trending violent testimonies which are frustrating educators.
At a well-known school in Vosloorus, teachers are known to be living in sheer fear as young learners belonging to gangs run rampant. Here too, drugs, violence and alcohol are known to be fanning the on-going violence.
Most of these drug peddlers often plead poverty as their reason for engaging in the illicit drug trade. The law and society cannot allow them to continue destroying the future of these young children with their illicit drugs.
Sadly, the impact of drug addiction on one child or person affects a dozen or more other people in the family chain. As a result, even the community where that drug addict lives often ends up being affected by the person’s drug addiction as he or she suddenly becomes a menace to them too.
As a result of the recent changes in the structures of the national police system, communities in the townships are breathing a sigh of relief and hope. Many believe the new police head, Brig. Bheki Cele, could swing things around and make crime a major priority on his new to-do schedule.
Kathorus MAIL also applauds the principal of a primary school who called the police to complain about the unruly behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, absconding and bullying evident in his school. Maybe more school heads should also be standing up and siding with the police in the fight against crime and drugs at schools.
As a local community newspaper, Kathorus MAIL also urges fellow learners to stand up and speak out against those who bring lawlessness to their schools. It is only when educators and the learners stand up together against these evil criminal actions at their schools, that victory will be achieved.
Endit.
