AWARENESS

SCHOOL BASED EDUCATION FOR DRUG ABUSE

School is not about repairing all social evils. It is about repairing one: the evil of ignorance. We all have responsibilities as adults for these evils. But as teachers, we don’t need to be ashamed if we can’t fix homelessness or stamp out violence, or prevent AIDS, or end drug abuse. Individual teachers will care as human beings when students use drugs, or contract sexually transmitted diseases, or adopt poor nutritional practices. But it is not the fault of schools, and schools ought not to set targets to change such behaviours. Schools can, of course, influence such behaviour. The way they do it is through the development of knowledge and skills and the cultivation of values in their students. The fact is that schools do not have it in their power to stop smoking, drinking, sex or poor eating patterns. They do have it in their power to improve student knowledge and skills and to encourage the development of defensible values. Equally, they should not be blamed when students engage in health behaviour that is less than desirable. They should be blamed, or at least held accountable, if students do not gain essential knowledge and skills regarding health, and cannot articulate a value position.