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Minister for Education, National Heritage, Culture and Arts, Youth and Sports, Filipe Bole today urged children to say “No to Tobacco”.
In a statement released today in response to The Fiji Times cover story on “Smokers Charged”, Mr Bole said “The Education Ministry does not condone smoking in school for the simple reason that it is harmful to one’s health and it will affect the performance of students.
On the same note, the Ministry wholeheartedly supports the work carried out by the Health Ministry’s Tobacco Control Enforcement Unit in controlling smoking in public places.
Smoking addiction starts early. Many young smokers think that they can quit easily but, it does not take them too long to find out that they are already addicted. According to the National Substance Abuse Advisory Council (NSAAC), in Fiji, 22% of 13-15 year-olds smoke their first cigarette before they are 10.”
NSAAC conducts awareness programmes in schools and communities throughout the year in its commitment to inform the Fiji public of the dangers of drugs, tobacco and other illicit substances.
Researches conducted by NSAAC indicate that the three commonly used drugs by students of both primary and secondary schools are yaqona, alcohol and tobacco. This is consistent with the survey conducted by the Fiji Community Education Association that revealed that about 62.5 % of urban youth smoke tobacco compared to 55% of youth in the rural areas.
The responsibility to assist our young people to choose a “NO TOBACCO” life style begins at home and in the community. Adults are urged to be supportive in protecting our young people from the dangers of tobacco smoking.
Tobacco smoking is a major public health concern in Fiji. It is estimated that at least 600 million cigarettes are smoked in Fiji per year. An average smoker of 10 cigarettes per day could be saving $F15 per week, $F60 per month, $F720 per year, $F3600 in 5 years.
The cost of smoking to the government, business and families has been estimated at $F5 million per year in health care, expenditure on tobacco products and loss of productive years of life.
Mr Bole said the Education Ministry depends on the concerted effort of parents, teachers, school managements and community elders to eradicate this growing bad habit in our society.
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(No.0718)
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