Narcotics are creating havoc among young students!
That’s the word from Fiji National University (FNU) academic director Matereti Sukanaivalu.
These young students, he insists, have not been spared the physical, social and economic impact caused by narcotics.
Mr Sukanaivalu told a panel discussion on higher education, organised by Dialogue Fiji in Suva this week, that narcotics-related problems were on the rise in Fiji.
Young people were “vulnerable to the drug issue”.
He was talking about a range of addictive substances including drugs and kava.
There was a need for awareness because, as he said, it was affecting young people.
They were visiting kava bars, kava barrel nights, and they were there after school.
“For us at FNU, these are just around the corner. It’s about three or four (bars) and it affects the thinking capacity, the capability of these young people to make decisions.”
Time management was affected.
There is a tempting environment for students to escape academic pressures.
And it obviously is something that young students are exploring.
Smart gadgets had also “most probably” contributed to a general erosion of soft skills such as flexibility, critical thinking, time management, communication, work ethic and problem-solving through the years.
“So, this issue that we look at now is not a one-off thing. It’s a multi-variant issue that we need to address together as a nation.”
What we have is a scenario where the thinking capacity and decision-making abilities of some of our young students are affected.
And the impact of smart gadgets on essential life skills is a concern.
We know that technology has powerful benefits.
It is a concern though when excessive use hinders critical thinking and problem-solving.
In that sense, it is encouraging that there was even a panel discussion on the topic of education, and touched on the impact of narcotics.
As a means to combat this, there is a need for awareness targeted at students, focusing on the dangers of narcotics.
In saying that, there has to be a supportive environment as well that motivates them to think about the consequences of their action and the influence of narcotics.
We say this is also when communities should be engaged.
The grip of narcotics demands engagement. It demands action now.
That means people uniting to make a difference. It means a change in mindsets.
That may be easier said than done, but where there is a will there is a way!
We have always said that education is a critical element in the development of our nation.
Budgets over the years have been targeted at raising standards and leaving no one behind.
The question is, have we raised standards?
