KITWE district commissioner Binwell Mpundu has warned of stern action against traders and pupils involved in the sale and abuse of marijuana at Chamboli Secondary School in Kitwe.
During his continued visit of Government schools in Kitwe, teachers at Chamboli Secondary School on Wednesday complained to Mr Mpundu that drug abuse among boys at the school is rampant.
The teachers told Mr Mpundu that there are a number of makeshift stalls outside the school where marijuana is sold and some pupils just walk there and buy the drug.
The teachers said they have already informed the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) to carry out sensitisation activities or conduct an operation to curb the illegal activities.
Mr Mpundu said the news that the boys at Chamboli Secondary School are abusing drugs is disappointing.
“I was informed that because of the drinking and smoking that goes on outside the school, there is a lot of unruly behaviour and a lot of pupils are being affected,” he said.
Mr Mpundu said Government has placed a high premium on education and will not allow anyone to jeopardise its efforts.
He said drug abuse has the potential to affect the performance of pupils at the school.
“Already, the performance of pupils at that school is already below par. It does not even reach the half mark and I am told last year, the grade 12 recorded a pass mark of 42 if not 46 percent,” Mr Mpundu said.
Mr Mpundu has been touring Government schools in the district since February to appreciate their challenges and see how best Government can work with the education authorities in improving examination results in the district.
Copperbelt Province was the second least performing province in the country in terms of grade 12 results last year
With high levels of poverty under pf this is the only way people can make money by selling chamba and kill stress by smoking it.
So ba DEC you want to start arresting school kids as well? Address the issue not by arresting, are you going to arrest everyone in Zambia? Next you’ll be arresting your own sons and sending them to the overcrowded cells! Let’s be serious people sending people to cells over small marejuana use is retrogressive. Counsel the kids don’t ruin their lives which is what will happen if you involve DEC.
????? Cha!
I was at Mukuba in the 80s and the whole copperbelt knew Chamboli as a dagga smoking school. It was a ruffian school and 30 years later the problem is just being talked about?
Sad!