Rwanda National Police

In a bid to counter drug abuse among the youth, Rwanda National Police (RNP) has reached out to two secondary schools in Nyaruguru District to educate students about their role in fighting against drug abuse and trafficking.

The campaign - which is a continuous practice by (RNP) – was conducted on July 28 and reached out to over 700 students drawn from two Imanzi and Ndago Secondary Schools.

 Nyaruguru District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO), Inspector of Police (IP) Stanislas Rutayisire, told the students that drugs threaten the nation's youth and leads to physical and mental disability, emotional damage, and a decline in educational achievement and productivity of young people.

“The youth should take a lead in the fight against drugs. A credible school is one which provides a major influence in transmitting values, standards, and information to students, including alerting them about the adverse consequences associated with abusing drugs,” he told the students and school administrators present at the campaign.

He added that; “Students should always be given the liberty and time to discuss the extent of drug abuse among youth in neighborhoods, why drug abuse occurs, the effects of drug abuse, what schools can do to combat the problem in their communities,  and what school administrators can do to discourage the practice.”

IP Rutayisire noted that frequent drug users skip school or arrive late, while they also are likely to score low grades, and thus called on students to alert their administrators whenever they notice that a colleague is addicted.

“Students have to be ambassadors of this fight against drugs by alerting their administrators whenever they realize that some of their colleagues are addicted, so that they may get help in the quickest time possible, while administrators are also urged to report to police whenever they suspect that drugs are distributed to their students,” he noted.

“Schools are also urged to conduct regular surveys of students, collaborate with law enforcers and consult with parents about their respective roles and how they can collectively fight drugs before they become a menace to the youth,” said Rutayisire.

The Headmistress of Imanzi Secondary School, Betty Nyirabaganwa, commended RNP for its straight-forward approach to fighting illicit drugs, and urged students to concentrate on developing skills and attitudes that will help keep them away from drugs.

“You should have the strength to resist peer pressure by understanding and practicing reasons for not taking drugs, and also report anyone who desires to peddle drugs within school premises,” she told the students.

She also warned school administrators who may collaborate with drug dealers to introduce drugs in schools, noting that they should always be exemplary and exert a significant influence on students' attitudes, knowledge, and opinions.

One of the students at the campaign, Agnes Batamuriza, 15, expressed commitment on behalf of fellow students, in the fight against drugs and pledged to spread the message to other students and youth within  Rwanda.