FREEPORT, Grand Bahama ﾖ The psychological services section of the Ministry of Education on Grand Bahama will embark on a pilot programme geared at addressing an upsurge in reported student cases of substance abuse in grade levels as early as primary school, an official in that department announced this week.
Dr. Pamula Mills, chief clinical psychologist with the Ministry, made the announcement as she and other officials pointed to a rise over the past school year in female student cases of alcohol abuse and on-campus drug smuggling masterminded by older boyfriends outside the school system.
“We have had an influx of referrals of children who are using and abusing drugs,” Dr. Mills said. “So we figure if we educate our children about the uses and the effects of alcohol and the drugs then maybe it would help to curtail the problem.”
The pilot programme will be carried out at the Hugh Campbell Primary School and the St. Georgeﾴs High school ﾖ the islandﾴs largest government high school with an estimated student population of 1,500.
Dr. Mills said the pilot programme will be conducted with the same class in each school, once per week for a term.
She said officials hope to adopt similar programmes in other schools.
According to Kenneth Romer, vice principal of the St. Georgeﾴs High School, the clandestine activities of drug peddlers using female students to move contraband, as well as the rise in substance abuse are of major concern to administrators.
He pointed out that substance abuse problems among students is also likely to be linked to the pressures brought upon by their home environments and by the lifestyle choices they make.
In addition to facing the challenge of substance abuse and drug smuggling, last academic year schools on Grand Bahama like ones in New Providence were rocked by incidences of violence ﾖ symptoms of what officials say is a general problem of behavioral deviance negatively impacting the general school environment.
Dr. Mills said, “I think one of the main issues now is conflict resolution. We have to put that in the forefront that our children will learn how to resolve conflict without resorting to violence ﾖ that would be a major accomplishment.”
Several reported cases of school violence on the island last school year involved students whose violent clashes resulted in other students requiring medical observation.
But Ministry officials acknowledge that not all of the challenges faced last school year were linked to social ills, pointing out the devastation wrought by last yearﾴs hurricanes also put a tremendous strain on administrators, teachers and students.
A number of teachers returned to the classrooms having lost their homes during Hurricane Frances, and many students did likewise, having to attend classes without wearing their uniforms because their personal belongings were lost during the storm.
In response to the challenges faced last year, Ministry officials have decided to launch another new initiative for the island by hosting three simultaneous back-to-school prayer rallies Sunday afternoon.
Officials are urging parents to bring students out to the new initiative, which they hope will be heavily supported by churches and civic groups on the island.
Sharon Williams, The Bahama Journal
