And Policy Studies at Kenyatta University, Assessment of the effectiveness of Drug Abuse Reduction Strategies Adopted by Secondary School Students in Kitui County

Abstract
The problem of drug abuse among secondary school students in Africa is increasingly worrying. The finding of this study and other related studies indicate that the problem affects negatively on the academic, social psychological and physical development among the abusers. With that knowledge in mind, this study sought to find out the effectiveness of drug abuse reduction strategies adopted by secondary school students in responding to drug abuse in Kitui County. The study applied descriptive survey techniques to investigate the phenomenon. Through purposeful sampling, the study collected data from 20 public secondary schools in Kitui County-Kitui Central Sub County. From the research findings, 51.8% of the respondents agreed that some of the drug abuse reduction strategies adopted by students in secondary school were contributing to drug reduction among secondary school students in Kitui County-Kitui Central Sub County. Some of the strategies include guidance and counseling, role modeling, and drug screening. Role modeling was rated as the most effective (23.3%), and guidance and counseling was not statistically significant in reducing drug usage in secondary schools (p = 0.06> 0.05). Informed by the study finding, the study first recommends strengthening the guidance and counseling departments in schools to increase their impact in reducing drug usage in schools. Second, the government through the ministry of education should do further research on the subject to find out what works universally and issue policy directives on best strategies that contribute to drug reduction among secondary school students. Thirdly, the government should align their national policies to current strategies for drug abuse reduction among students in secondary school with the United Nations and African Union’s strategies. On drug reduction among youth and among secondary school students. Fourthly, the study also recommended a similar study in private schools in the same location, to establish whether the results are generalizable.
Description
A Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Education in Sociology of Education, 2023
Keywords
EFFECTIVENESS OF DRUG ABUSE, REDUCTION STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY SECONDARY SCHOOL, STUDENTS IN KITUI COUNTY
Citation