The Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) campaign aimed at tackling the growing problem of drug abuse in schools across Ghana.
The initiative, announced in a statement dated June 27, is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) as part of government’s efforts to protect learners from the harmful effects of substance abuse.
According to the Ministry, the campaign seeks to promote safe, healthy and disciplined learning environments while strengthening preventive education among school-aged children nationwide.
As part of the intervention, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to introduce a daily anti-drug awareness message in all pre-tertiary schools with immediate effect.
Under the directive, students will recite the approved campaign message during morning assembly immediately after the National Anthem and before the National Pledge.
The campaign message will be delivered in a call-and-response format, with the leader saying, “Don’t start it as a greeting,” and students responding, “To live in regret.”
The Ministry explained that the directive forms a key component of a broader national behavioural change communication strategy designed to discourage drug use among learners, strengthen preventive education, and encourage responsible decision-making.
Beyond the daily recitation, the campaign will be supported by sustained public education, school-based sensitisation programmes, stakeholder engagement activities, and enhanced collaboration among educational institutions, parents, community leaders, and other key partners.
The Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the well-being and future of every learner and called on parents, teachers, traditional leaders, religious organisations, and the general public to support the national campaign to eliminate drug abuse from Ghana’s schools and educational institutions.
The statement was signed by Hashmin Mohammed, Press Secretary to the Minister for Education.
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