Boy takes mental drug to pass math
What you need to know:
- The Form Four student at Kiranga Boys Secondary School in Murang’a County, swallowed four 5mg tablets of Heridol, a brand of Haloperidol, for Monday's mathematics paper.
- When on Sunday evening he attended the preps, the teacher on duty noticed that his back was arched in a strange manner and his neck muscles were abnormally stiff.
A Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination candidate took drugs commonly prescribed for mental patients to boost performance.
The Form Four student at Kiranga Boys Secondary School in Murang’a County, swallowed four 5mg tablets of Heridol, a brand of Haloperidol, for Monday's mathematics paper.
The student took the drug on Saturday evening with three of his friends in the hope of revising better.
Yesterday, he said a friend from Githurai, Nairobi, gave them the drugs.
“[...] told us the drugs would boost our capacity to absorb more information as we prepared for the following week’s exams,” the student told the Daily Nation. “He said zinafanya mtu asome kabisa akitumia (they help one to study better).”
In a desperate desire to pass the ongoing exams, the ‘D’ student, swallowed four tablets, two of his friends took two and the other one a tablet.
He said the supplier, who is asthmatic, bought the tablets at a Githurai chemist.
“I immediately became dizzy and went to the dormitory to sleep; I did not even attend church service on Sunday,” said the student. “My neck and back muscles were stiff; I could hardly do anything.”
When on Sunday evening he attended the preps, the teacher on duty noticed that his back was arched in a strange manner and his neck muscles were abnormally stiff.
“We first thought he was high on some illegal drugs and immediately rounded up his friends, who also exhibited similar symptoms, though not as bad as his, and rushed them to Kandara Health Centre,” said Mr Jonathan Kibe, the deputy principal.
His friends were treated and discharged but he was referred to Thika Level Five Hospital, where he was treated and discharged.
“It was at the hospital that he confessed to having taken four tablets of the drug with the hope of boosting his capacity to revise more material for the mathematics paper,” said Mr Kibe.
As students had breakfast at around 6am on Monday, the student started exhibiting the earlier symptoms. He was taken to the Kandara Deputy County Commissioner’s office, where test papers were being collected, before being rushed to Kandara Health Centre, from where he sat his exams.
“He normalised after an injection was administered on him,” said Mr Kibe.
The student’s father said he was happy that his son was alive.
“I was so shocked when the school called to inform me that my son had been taken to hospital after swallowing some drugs,” said the father. “Like any other parent, I first thought the worst had happened.
“I am happy he is alive.”
Mr Kibe said the school will not punish the student for his actions but will instead recommend that his parents take him for professional counselling.
