THE latest report of substance abuse received by the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council (NASAAC) is of a young girl in Year 4, who was found sniffing glue in the classroom.
This was shared by NASAAC director Manoa Senikarawa during the 119th Fiji’s Principal Association Conference yesterday.
“Just last week, I received a report of one of the young girls in Year 4, taking the whole tin (glue) and sniffing it in the classroom,” he said.
“And one of the other students beside her told the teacher that her desk-mate was sniffing something and it was filled with glue.
“It shows the amount of things that our young kids are being inundated with.”
Mr Senikarawa said children learned from what they saw happening around them and this placed even more emphasis on the important role parents played in ensuring the safety and welfare of their children.
He said NASAAC conducted educational training in school to foster research into abuse, the use of liquor and addictive or illegal substances.
He encouraged school leaders to help in advocacy to be able to discourage and prevent young people from being exposed to abuse to illegal substances.
The theme of the conference was “Excellence through Inclusive Leadership”.
