Eugene Dhlamini
Court reporter
As cases of drug abuse continue to rise in the country Zimbabwe Open University has introduced a drug and substance management course.
This short course is meant to educate the nation about the effects of substance abuse.
The Program Coordinator for Counseling at ZOU, Doctor Printah Nkala told Zim GBC NEWS that the university is concerned about the rise of drug and substance abuse.
The Drug and Substance Management course was first introduced in Harare and registration has started in Bulawayo
“Young people are abusing expensive and addictive substances like crack, molly, crystal meth, Bron-clear and cocaine and if the substance is unavailable they are forced to commit crime and the tertiary institution has a role to play to achieve vision 2030 as a nation”, said Printah Nkala the Program Coordinator of Counseling at ZOU.
The Department of Counseling at ZOU is trying to help everyone in local communities by educating and spreading awareness of drug abuse, the short course aims to inform the young generation about the dangers of substance abuse, preventive measures and solutions for those who are already addicted.
“Almost every family has one or two people affected by drugs, extended families are dying out and drug addicts are failing to open up about their addiction to their family members therefore ZOU has made it easy for everyone who is willing to learn and make a change in local communities”, said DR. Nkala
Students that are being trained under this course will be educated more about use of drugs, types of drugs and preventative measures.
“The motive of introducing Drug and Substance Management is that the observations and research indicates that this new generation will perish if there are no measures implemented to stop the use of drugs because the new generation is normalizing the use of expensive substances”, said Angela Maphosa the Regional Director at ZOU.
Participants are educated on techniques which are applicable in the modern society to stop the use of drugs, treatment and implement preventive measures, are not only trained but those with addictions are taken to rehabilitation facilities.
The institution aims to implement a multiselectoral perspective where by varied professional services collaboratively work together for example psychologists, police officers to operate and arrest drug suppliers, medical doctors to provide medical assistance and rehabilitation centers.