By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
The Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) campaign to tackle the growing problem of drug abuse in schools across Ghana.
The initiative, being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), forms part of the government’s efforts to protect learners from substance abuse and promote safe, healthy and disciplined learning environments.
As part of the campaign, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to introduce a daily anti-drug awareness message in all pre-tertiary schools.
Under the directive, which takes immediate effect, pupils and students will recite the campaign message during morning assemblies after the National Anthem and before the National Pledge.
The call-and-response message is:
Leader: “Don’t start it as a greeting.”
Students: “To live in regret.”
According to the Ministry, the initiative forms part of a broader Behavioural Change Communication Strategy aimed at preventing drug use among school-aged children, strengthening drug education and encouraging responsible decision-making among learners.
The campaign will also include sustained public education, school-based sensitisation programmes, stakeholder engagement and closer collaboration between educational institutions, parents, traditional authorities, community leaders and other partners.
The Ministry said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of learners and creating drug-free educational institutions.
It urged parents, teachers, community leaders and the general public to support the campaign to help eliminate drug abuse in schools across the country.
