Use of Mentoring Programmes on Prevalence of Drug and Substance Abuse in Public Secondary Schools in Busia County, Kenya

Abstract

The study sought to determine whether significant differences existed on levels of prevalence of drug and substance abuse among students in schools where principals supported mentoring education compared to those schools where principals did not support mentoring programmes. The study utilized descriptive survey design and the target population of students was 30,745. Out of a total of 30,745 students, a sample size of 420 students from 35 schools and 35 guidance and counseling teachers had questionnaires administered to them. Also35 principals responded to interview guides, and five education officers responded to a focused group discussion translating to 495 respondents. The statistical package for social sciences Software (SPSS) was used in the analysis. Levene's test for equality of variances and means was used for independent and dependent samples to determine whether significant differences existed between schools that supported mentoring education and their levels of drugs and substance abuse among the students. The study established that the schools which had mentoring programmes had lower reported cases of prevalence of drug and substance abuse compared to those schools which did not have mentoring programmes. The study established that the drug and substance are sneaked in by students from outside peddlers and finally the drug and substance are sneaked in by non-teaching staff. The study also established some measures that can be taken to control drug and substance abuse in public secondary schools are verbal warning, expelling students who abuse drug and substances, inviting parents to talk with their children on and lastly by arraigning in court the students who are caught abusing drugs and substances. The study concluded that mentoring programmes positively influenced student's behaviour in the sense that they reduced drug and substance abuse among students. The study recommends embracing of mentoring programmes in secondary schools where they were not yet embraced as a preventive measure for social vices including drug and substance abuse.

The study recommends that replication should be done in private secondary and primary schools in other parts of the republic where drugs are a menace, the Ministry of Education science and technology should include drug and substance education in the curriculum implementation, there should be drastic measures taken on students who are got abusing drug and substance.