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Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr. Desrey Fox, in an invited comment said the use of marijuana at the Waramadong Secondary school is not a major issue since the situation is under control.Responding to the question of whether the Ministry has received reports of marijuana use at the secondary school, the Minister said the Ministry is aware of the report and is dealing with it.According to Dr. Fox, the use of marijuana in schools is prevalent in almost every region but the Ministry has not been able to accumulate figures.Dr. Fox said following the reports about the use of the illicit drug at the Waramadong School,Cheap NFL Jerseys, the Ministry visited the area and conducted a Needs Assessment Programme in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).Minister Fox pointed out that during the assessment a number of issues were raised including the use of marijuana in the school.She said the source of the problem was identified by students themselves.“We were told by students that it was only a particular group from a particular area that was using the marijuana,” Dr. Fox said.It was also found that the students who were using the prohibited substance may have been influenced by their environment, Dr Fox pointed out.The Waramadong Secondary serves six communities in Region 7, which is predominantly a mining area which attracts persons from other parts of Guyana.Dr. Fox said given this fact, it is safe to say that the children are being influenced by what is going on in their community.As such the Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF is offering psychosocial support for the affected students.Dr. Fox stressed that the issue is not that major since during the Needs Assessment Programme other crucial issues were raised.“We found a number of other issues which need to be dealt with and currently, we have a draft report on our findings and what we plan to do,” Dr. Fox said.She said the report would be made public shortly. |
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