Drug addicted youths cannot be excluded from the classroom.

Equal Education’s head of organising in the Western Cape, Nontsikelelo Dlulani says that instead, these children need psycho-social support.

She was speaking as Equal Education’s latest research report on school safety in the Western Cape, called “iSafety Ngoku: Seeking Sanctuary in Western Cape Schools” has identified the impact of drug abuse on education.

It found that drug abuse is the biggest threat to learners’ safety.

But it has also noted that drug addicted youth often disrupt the learning environment.

It is taxing on teachers who must first restore order to the classroom before they can begin a lesson.

Dlulani has called for social workers to be stationed at schools to provide support to learners and teachers dealing with these challenges.