As the 2024 academic year approaches, the Director of Programmes and Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Education, Arts, and Culture, Ayesha Wentworth, is urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of using harmful substances.

Drugs can reduce a child's ability to learn, cause them to even drop out of school, and disrupt their lives and those around them.

Wentworth says children should expect harsh consequences if found with drugs on the school grounds, whether through disciplinary procedures or even face suspension.

She says the ministry launched the National Safety Framework to tackle all sorts of violence on school grounds as well as provide psychosocial support.

However, parents and guardians too need to do their part.

"We are also looking at supporting our children; what is the reason for substance abuse? What is the reason for drugs? It should be a punitive approach but also a supportive and rehabilitative approach. Everything starts with education. If the child is not aware of what would happen, they would try it. We must talk to our kids; we must educate them. Parents should be open to what's happening; teachers really need to identify signs of a child who is acting out of strategy or is not their normal self."

The National Safety Framework is a guide to preventing and managing substance abuse among learners in all schools.

In addition, she says if teachers or staff members are found with drugs, that would constitute misconduct, and processes will be followed.