By Bright Zhou
Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Angeline Gata has urged parents and teachers to monitor learners as there have been reports of them abusing sex-enhancing drugs.
Gata was speaking at a Masvingo City Council-hosted programme at Charles Austin Theatre on March 26, 2024, themed ‘Call to Action’, a Local Government programme that addresses socio-economic challenges, while striving to end drug and substance abuse, attended by learners from different schools around Masvingo.
She said what was more worrying was that girls were also involved in using these drugs and that resulted in them being vulnerable to early marriages and pregnancies as they fail to control themselves after taking the aphrodisiacs.
“School teachers should work hand in glove with parents to prevent learners from abusing sexual enhancement drugs. They should also note that it’s not only boys who use these drugs, even girls are taking sexual enhancement drugs which can cause them to have early pregnancies and early marriages because they cannot control themselves after taking the drugs. They even fail to use protection and some of them will be affected by Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs),” said Gata.
Speaking at the same event, Masvingo Gender Focal Person Alice Mashingaidze said sexual enhancement pills can be categorized as drugs, and some learners especially boys can affect their reproductive system by using these enhancement drugs continuously.
“Sexual enhancement drugs are also drugs and we warn the youth especially boys to stop using sexual them continuously because they will damage their reproductive system, digestive system, and other body parts,” said Mashingaidze.
Mashingaidze added that there were several rape cases emanating from taking sex enhancement pills where learners especially boys take them and end up raping girls in school toilets.
“In most cases, learners involved in rape cases at school are because of taking sex enhancement pills, especially boys. We received rape cases from different schools and mostly we find out that students are using sex pills and end up raping other learners in school toilets,” said Mashingaidze.
Speaking at the same event, Gokomere High School teacher Tatenda Mazorera said that sometimes young adults were being involved in drugs due to low educational levels and others were dropping out of school due to fees shortages.
He added that the government should provide Vocational Training Centers which facilitates free education so that young adults get things to do to forget about drugs.
“Young adults are being involved in drugs because of low educational levels. Others are dropouts because their parents failed to pay school fees. Government must provide free education or establish vocational training centers which provide free education so that young adults will have something to do and they will forget about drugs,” said Mazorera.
