STRATEGIES USED BY SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO CURB THE EFFECT OF DRUG ABUSE ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN NARO MORU DIVISION, NYERI COUNTY, KENYA.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out the strategies used by secondary school principals to curb the effect of drug abuse among students in Naromoru division, in Nyeri County. Out of 24 schools, 8 schools were stratified sampled. This represented 33.33% of the schools in the division. The following research questions were formulated to guide the study: what are the main causes of drug abuse among students in Naromoru, what are the sources of commonly abused drug by students, what are the strategies used by principals to curb the effects of drug abuse in academic performance, what are the drug related discipline problems and academic performance, and how can the strategies for curbing drug abuse be improved. The study employed mixed method design to find out the strategies used by principals in curbing the effect of drug abuse on academic performance. The target population comprised of all 24 secondary schools, 24 principals, 24 deputy principals and 24 guidance and counseling teachers and 3,378 students. The sample for the study included 8 selected schools, 8 Principals, 8 Deputy Principals, 8 Guidance and Counseling teachers, and 160 students. The total number of participants in the research was 184. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in data analysis, thus a mixed model research design approach to data analysis. The researcher used questionnaires, interview guide and document analysis to collect the relevant information. The instrument for data collection was validated by peers in education and experts in educational administration and planning. Test -retest method was used to establish the reliability of the questionnaire with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme version 20. The analysis was done using frequencies, percentages, tables and bar graphs. The findings revealed that commonly used strategies for curbing drug abuse included; expulsion, suspension, drug education and heavy punishment. The researcher found that the strategies used were not diversified to effectively improve academic performance although some participants acknowledged that they were meant to improve the performance. The findings revealed that students take drug for curiosity, since some of the teachers and parents also took drugs. The research found that school administration did not care much about the issue of drug abuse in the schools, to the point that majority did not have drug abuse policy hence little was done. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended all schools to come up with a drug policy, to create awareness of the effect of drug abuse in the schools and to cooperate with all educational stakeholders so as to improve academic performance. Students who are identified as drug abusers should not be expelled from schools but should be accepted in the community and be helped through guidance and counseling. Although the Ministry of Education has integrated drug abuse in some subject, it should consider developing a curriculum on effects of drug abuse. This will ensure that all students are informed about dangers of drug abuse in order to make informed choices. The study suggests that further studies should be carried out on involvement of parents in curbing drug abuse and students perception on strategies used by principals.