The Acting Regional Director of the Oti Regional Department of Children, Ella Faith Ashong, has urged senior high school students to resist peer pressure, avoid drug abuse and remain focused on their education.
She made the appeal during a sensitisation programme organised by the Department for students of Oti Senior High Technical School, Yabram Community Day Senior High School and Dambai Technical Institute in the Krachi East Municipality.
Madam Ashong said the programme formed part of the Department’s mandate to protect children and adolescents from drug abuse and educate them on making responsible choices.
The initiative was also linked to the Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA) campaign, which seeks to raise awareness of issues affecting children and adolescents.
She warned that the use of substances such as marijuana, cocaine and tramadol could harm students’ well-being and jeopardise their future.
She called on parents, teachers and guardians to discourage adolescents from using illicit drugs and misusing medication.
Madam Ashong said the choices young people made during adolescence could influence their future careers and urged them to think carefully before making decisions.
“Your future is your choices, and building positive choices matters most. Stop, think and choose,” she advised.
She also encouraged students to report any form of abuse they experienced to the Department of Children, school authorities or trusted family members.
A social worker at Chance for Children, Mr Elijah Adjumani, also urged students to avoid illicit drugs and the misuse of prescription medication.
He said drug abuse was not limited to boys and men, noting that girls and women were also involved.
Mr Adjumani warned that substance abuse could affect mental health, weaken the body and undermine students’ academic progress and future prospects.
He further cautioned that substance abuse could contribute to risky behaviour, including sexual harassment, among students and adolescents in schools and communities.
He said drug abuse could lead young people into behaviour that negatively affected their education and future development.
Mr Adjumani also warned that the unlawful use of drugs could attract legal consequences, urging students to stay away from substances that could jeopardise their future.
The Coordinator of Youth Alert, Rev. Richard Yaw Tenu, urged students to devote more time to their studies and remain focused on achieving their ambitions.
He said discipline was essential to success and encouraged students to exercise self-control, resist negative influences and develop personal plans for their future.
Rev. Tenu also urged them to remain dedicated to their education, seek reliable information and emulate positive role models in society.
