IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE ON ACADEMIC PERFOMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA A CASE STUDY OF KABONDO DIVISION

Abstract

The accessibility and consumption of psychoactive substances by the youths have attracted a great deal from scholars. Drug abuse by secondary school students is a major concern among parents, teachers and the society in general. Empirical evidence shows that 92% of the youth (between 14-23years) had experimented with drugs as they grew up, with about 90% of the respondents involving in beer, spirits, cigarettes, local brews and bhang. This is the age of most secondary school students tendered to focus on the prevalence of drug abuse by the youth in general but information on the effects of drug abuse on academic performance among secondary school students is scanty. The research was thus intended to examine the extent of drug abuse among secondary’ school students and its impact on academic performance. It purposed to establish how the availability of drug affects the usage and the user’s academic performance and to identify the academic performance problems related to drug abuse. To accomplish its purpose simple random sampling was used for selecting students for this study. Later the study used questionnaires as the main tool of collecting information from the students and interview schedules involving the head teachers of the school where the study was carried out. The result of the study would be useful in preventing the use of drugs and thus improving the academic performance.