Following the previous meeting held to address the scourge of drug and gender based violence, the Minister of Internal Affairs Rtd AIG Morie Lengor Esq, and the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education Mr. Conrad Sackey co-chaired a meeting with Conference of Principles, Sierra Leone Police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and others on a way forward to address the scourge of drug, alcohol use and cultism in Schools and other learning institutions.
The roundtable discussions, held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ conference room, at Gloucester Street in Freetown, on 10th February, 2025, generated a lot of discussions which also included gender based violence from intelligence gathered indicating that illicit drugs are being sold within the school premises, posing major threats to school going children.
In his opening address, the Minister of Internal Affairs Rtd AIG Morie Lengor Esq, remarked that the issue of drug abuse in schools is becoming a national security concern, and the appalling situation has become so worrisome. He said the issue at hand needed concerted and collaborative effort to address as a matter of urgency. He further noted that the alarming spate of dangerous drug consumption among, especially school going children leading to violence incidence, drop-out in schools and mental health issues will adversely affects the Human Capital Development Agenda, and might cause doom, for the future generation, if the matter is not addressed.
He called on members to work swiftly for solutions for the short-term and long-term goals to find sustainable solutions.
Minister Lengor Esq, ended appealing to all Heads of schools to implement stringent measures in schools, should any pupil is caught with drugs in schools.
The Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) Mr. Conrad Sackey, re-echoed key evidences of illicit drug and gender based violence in schools, reiterating that it is posing serious threats to school authorities. He said, they have made significant gains interms of education, and the use of drugs in schools requires an extensive decision – making to be able to act quickly in order to save the future of the Country.
Minister Sackey concluded, that other Ministries whose roles are key in tackling drug abuse in Schools should be involved – the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs. He concluded by admonishing all school authorities that it is incumbent on them to make available all necessary information to them regarding drug abuse in schools.
During the meeting, other key Stakeholders contributed to the debate, and various viewpoints were expressed, for the meeting to reach an understanding on a way forward in tackling the menace.
Key issues discussed included the root cause of the problems associated with drug abuse, and challenges in tackling drug abuse and gender based violence in schools and implementing measures to addressing them.
The meeting concluded with setting up of sub-committee led by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to develop a holistic strategy including massive drug sensitization outreach, including Inter-Religious Council and City Councils.
Credit: Ministry of Internal Affairs