NDACC book to help teachers crack drug problem
For many people, it is still hard to believe that children, as young as ten are experimenting with drugs. The National Drug Abuse Control Council isn’t taking the chance that those youngsters will grow out of the habit. Today the council launched a comprehensive guideline to help teachers crack the drug problem in the classroom.
Ornel Brooks, Executive Director, NDACC
“The recent discoveries and seizure of hard drugs within the Belizean shores, clearly indicate the determination and will of those who continue to seek to destroy the lives of our peoples.”
Jacqueline Woods
Unfortunately, drugs are now a serious problem in our schools. This new reality has prompted the National Drug Abuse Control Council to release its first comprehensive book on drug prevention to be used by teachers as a resource material.
Karen Bodden, Education Officer, NDACC
“The resource book came about as a result of teacher’s concern. And therefore they were able to identify areas in which they needed assistance. Those areas were then used to compile the book. So when we look at the book, we have sections that deal directly with the curriculum. We also have life skills and activities built into the book itself, whereby teachers will be able to use then comprehensively in the daily planning of lessons. This would allow teachers to address the issue of drug prevention education in a more structured format than just an ad hoc manner. So I believe that it will assist teachers in the classroom at every level. When we talk about drugs, we’re not only talking about illicit drugs, we’re also talking about the daily medication, how safe they are, what should our children know about medication. And so it addresses all those issues.”
Karen Bodden, NDACC’s education officer, says it was important to ensure that the information given in the book was relevant to what was taking place in the country.
Karen Bodden
“When it comes to any drug related issue, accurate information is the only way to work on changing attitudes. And if we are not able to present the reality of drug prevention methods and the reality of the drug situation, not only in Belize but in the world and our region, as well as to present teachers with strategies, which would allow them to work around that, then the book would not be as effective as we would like it to be. So when it comes to any kind of learning, your information must be updated and it must be relevant to where you are currently working, occupying or making use of that resource.”
If your school is interested in getting a copy of the book, you can contact NDACC at telephone number 31125 or visit their office at fifty-four Freetown Road. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
Funding for the book was received from the European Union.
