Managing substance abuse in public schools: A case study of Mano'mbe Circuit in Mopani District of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The study investigates the management of substance abuse in public schools using schools of Man’ombe Circuit as a case study. The study intends to establish the extent to which educators in public schools are managing substance abuse by learners. Substance abuse among youth continues to be a major problem worldwide and South Africa is no exception. Substance abuse by adolescents is an enduring public health issue worldwide including in South Africa. The global status report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) points out that many learners experiment with alcohol before the age of 12 years. The WHO, therefore, encourages member states to implement effective strategies to delay with the onset of alcohol use. The study used a qualitative research method wherein a purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting study participants. A sample of 10 educators was purposively selected for the interviews with teacher from nine schools nine different schools around Giyani. Ethical consideration were considered. Based on the findings, the contributory factor to substance use in public schools is peer pressure and lack of management skills on educators to deal with the matter at hand. The researcher recommend that the government, in particular, the Department of Education should employ school social workers to work with educators across all schools. The department must develop policies aimed at dealing with substance use in schools and ensure their effective implementation across all schools.To analyse data, a narrative analysis was used.