Boarding school nights of vice

Readily available

In addition to prescription or over-the-counter remedies, ecstasy, mandrax and some cocaine are the most readily available drugs, according to the research findings that also indicated that most drug use happens during the holidays when students are home and theoretically under their parents’ supervision.

Coordinators of the RCK initiative said the survey sample size is generally 100 to 200 students in a school across Forms One through Four.

Although the survey results do not factor in the margin of error, they are considered to be fairly representative of students in the schools in the Nairobi region where the initial surveys have been conducted.

Ms Gumba, a teacher as well as a researcher with The Steadman Group, says that in today’s society there seems to be little time for parents to engage constructively with their children. The result is a general permissiveness in which core values are either ignored or set aside.

“As parents, we are the most immediate example that our children have, and we must set the right example,” she said, adding that students have many issues, and it is up to parents to build on the work of the teachers during the holidays.

Particular issue

“The main reason is that most of the time parents are not aware that their child is going through a particular issue, and without knowledge of the situation it is difficult to help the child,” said Maggie Ireri, the RCK programme coordinator.

She said there should be a collaborative effort between parents and teachers to handle the issues that may arise.

The student researchers noted that it is important for parents to spend more time with their teenage children to discover what their problems might be and to allow them to open up about them.

Without actually asking the question, several of the surveys found that students saw their parents as abdicating their supervisory role to teachers and school administrators.

When asked how they sourced the drugs they took, several respondents said their parents had given them painkillers.

“Even during social gatherings you will find parents allowing their children access to alcohol,” Ms Gumba said, adding that many urban homes have bars which makes it easy for students to drink.

The survey on sexual behaviour indicated that 64 per cent of the students who had begun to have sex at an early age blamed their parents for not discussing the matter with them and for failing to provide them with adequate information and guidelines.

One of the more sobering findings of the survey was that 75 per cent of the students questioned said they did not use any protection during their initial sexual encounter.