MANYARA: STUDENTS in colleges and universities in the Manyara Region have been urged to avoid joining inappropriate groups linked to drug abuse-a behaviour officials have said undermines academic performance and threatens the nation’s future workforce.
Ms Sara Ndaba, a Social Welfare Officer from the Northern Zone office of the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), said the authority is continuing to deliver awareness programmes across higher learning institutions in the region as part of efforts to curb drug use among students.
“The main purpose of coming to the Manyara Region is to provide education in colleges and universities to help students achieve their goals and to remind them that the government, parents and guardians spend significant financial resources to support their education,” she said.
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Ms Ndaba said some students have already fallen into drug abuse, jeopardising their academic ambitions. She stressed that raising awareness is key to preventing further decline, noting that society expects educated young people to contribute meaningfully to national development and support their families.
“We have targeted colleges because institutions are reopening and there are new students transitioning from secondary schools, where the environment was more controlled compared to the freedom they experience at college,” she added.
Shaban Miraji, a Community Education Officer with the same authority, said drug users often end up engaging in inappropriate and risky behaviour, including theft and violence.
“Drugs affect the nervous system, altering how a person thinks, behaves and feels. They may act in ways that are unacceptable in society,” he said.
He listed marijuana, khat and certain addictive medical drugs as substances with serious health, economic, social and environmental consequences.
Meanwhile, Mwinyi Hamisi, an officer from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Manyara, said the bureau also offers education from primary to university level to encourage students to report corruption and drug abuse.
Colleges and universities operating in the region include the Open University of Tanzania and the Institute of Accountancy Arusha (IAA) Manyara campus.