PUPILS INVESTIGATED OVER VAPOUR SMOKING VIDEO

MBABANE – Whether it was a toy vapour smoke or real one, learners at Evelyn Baring High School are being investigated for bringing it to school and were allegedly seen smoking from it.

A video of learners from the school purportedly smoking from the vapour while in a classroom got the internet astir last Thursday. Many people were in shock at how the pupils where without fear passing each other what was seen as a vapour. Vapour smoking is done using a tool known as a vapour. It emits the vapour smoke and is common among people who want to quit smoking cigarettes. In an interview with this publication, the school’s Head teacher, Sandile Ginindza, stated that the school was in talks with the involved pupils and their parents to discuss the matter and find a way forward. He said he had a conversation with the learners who assured him that the vapour was a toy which had no harm. He mentioned that they were still investigating to find out what it really was.  “We have not yet come to any resolution on how we will handle the situation. We have contacted their parents and have set up a meeting with them to craft a way forward. We have yet to take the object from them and examine what it really is,” he said. Meanwhile, SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini, said they viewed this as a reflection of the fabric of society. He said the issue was an isolated case which exemplified things that were happening in the society.

Society

“As SNAT, we are taken aback by such an occurrence. However, our approach to this issue as a society should be in such a way that we focus on the wider society regarding the provision of solutions to such a challenge. Seeing a pupil smoking while in uniform is bizarre, but we need to study the whole situation comprehensively, critically analysing possible causes of such a behaviour,” he said. Dlamini said the use of drugs was now widespread among learners and that had a potential of changing the environment within which teaching and learning was conducted. He mentioned that the increase would be due to emotional issues that children were faced with. “At this point in age some learners are heading families which are also poverty stricken. All these issues have to be taken into consideration in this case,” he said. 

Dlamini further said to address the issue, government must employ school nurses who would provide counselling services to both learners and teachers. He said if adopted, this would improve the education system as even teachers also needed counselling services because they were strained emotionally and that impacted negatively on their work. Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Bertram Stewart stated that the ministry had not yet heard of the incident but did not condone such behaviour. “We have not yet heard of such but we definitely do not condone such behaviour at school,” he said.

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