Social media, drug abuse fuelling student indiscipline – Deputy Education Minister

The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has identified social media, the misuse of mobile phones and the growing abuse of narcotics and other unapproved substances as major factors driving indiscipline among students.

His remarks come in the wake of an incident at Obuasi Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region, where students allegedly attacked the school’s headmaster over claims that a baby’s body had been buried on the school premises.

Speaking on Citi FM on Wednesday, August 5, Dr Apaak said student misconduct was being fuelled by a combination of influences, including unrestricted exposure to inappropriate online content and increasing peer pressure.

He explained that many young people are constantly exposed to disturbing behaviour on social media platforms, which can create the false impression that such actions carry little or no consequences.

“Some of the issues that came up, and I believe some to be true, are the negative influence of social media and the abuse of the modern cell phone,” he said.

According to the Deputy Minister, students are increasingly consuming content that normalises unacceptable behaviour, making them more likely to imitate what they see.

“Students are able to see all manner of behaviours, no matter how condemnable and abhorrent, both from within the jurisdiction and beyond. And somehow they begin to get a feeling that they can also act in such manners and get away with it,” he stated.

Dr Apaak also expressed concern over the increasing use of narcotics and unauthorised substances among young people, describing it as a growing challenge that extends beyond senior high schools.

“We also have the incessant danger of the use of narcotics and other unapproved medical substances. This is a very serious issue that is also plaguing our youth,” he said.

He noted that the problem affects students across different levels of the education system, including junior high schools and tertiary institutions, and warned that some products sold as energy drinks may contain harmful mixtures capable of influencing behaviour.

“You see them holding these energy drinks, and you might think that it is just an energy drink. But that is a potent concoction of a combination of all kinds of substances,” he added.

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