Parents have an important role in prevention programmes geared toward equipping students with appropriate skills to face challenging situation, Education Minister Louis Galea said on Saturday.

He was speaking at a seminar “L-iskola tghodd… il-genituri ukoll,” organised by Agenzija sedqa in collaboration with the Association for School Councils (AKS), with the participation of the Association of Parents of Children in Church Schools (APCCS), for school councils, PTA’s and parents.

Over 20,000 students in primary schools and over 15,000 in secondary schools receive primary prevention programmes from school every year.

“Parents do not only have an important role in the academic development of their children, but should also have an active role in prevention programmes, geared towards equipping students with appropriate skills to face challenging situation. The educational programmes delivered at schools need to be consolidated and reinforced by positive messages and attitudes at home and most importantly by giving a good example,” Dr Galea said.

The seminar was a follow-up from the one held last year, this year emphasising parental skills and the importance of the participation of parents in their children’s education.

Equipping educational institutions with informative material and delivering lifeskills programmes are fundamental in the universal prevention process. Several initiatives are coordinated each year by sedqa’s Primary Prevention Team in schools and this clearly demonstrates the prioritisation that sedqa gives to schools within the education system, and with it, the simultaneous education to parents through the agency’s parental skills programme. Sedqa’s main objective is the collaboration between the agency, educators and parents in creating a working relationship that fosters children’s learning and healthy life choices.

This message was reaffirmed by Dr Galea, who emphasised the importance of collaboration between entities in delivering the messages and information about substance abuse and about the importance of the inclusion of parents in the prevention programmes.

Minister Galea said that although a lot was being done in and with schools with regard to prevention programmes, dissemination of information and intervention, where necessary, “we are still faced with a number of cases of substance abuse and cases of smoking and alcohol abuse, sometimes at a young age”.

Minister Galea said the Education Ministry launched a substance abuse policy in 2001 and immediately set up the anti-substance abuse unit to work in schools and in collaboration with other agencies, including sedqa.

Dr Galea explained that schools already have guidelines and procedures on what to do when cases of abuse are identified or suspected.

The Anti-Substance Abuse Unit offers a consultation service to schools and intervenes to assist students who are allegedly abusing or are at risk of substance abuse. This unit serves as a link between schools and other services within and out of the education sector. The unit also participates in prevention programmes that are delivered to students.

“Through experience we have learnt that prevention activities within schools, which certainly can positively effect the decisions and choices made by the student in this challenging time in their life, should be an integral part of the curriculum in a structured manner. Such a structure might encourage more parental involvement in the holistic development of their children.

“Parents should not be afraid to seek help or advise from professionals/agencies in this field but should take all opportunities offered by the various formal and non-formal entities to face the challenge of parenthood,” Minister Galea said.

Minister Galea concluded his address saying that as a nation “we need to work hard to reduce, if not eradicate, our culture of tolerance towards certain drugs and other substances such as alcohol and tobacco.”

Chief executive officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare Service, Joe Gerada, emphasised that parents not only have a responsibility to protect their children, but a right to demand protection for their children from public officers such as teachers and community leaders.

Operations director of Agenzija sedqa, Jean-Claude Cardona, gave an overview of sedqa’s position regarding substance abuse and policies in schools.

Manager of the Primary Prevention Division within sedqa, Paul Pace, said that alcohol had become the major substance of abuse among young Maltese people, and that the agency was constantly adopting measures that strengthened its prevention programmes and dissemination of information in schools.

A panel of experts chaired by president of APCCS, Mariella Grech and consisting of sedqa operations director, Jean Claude Cardona, members of APCCS and AKS, led a discussion about parents’ roles and skills.

Other topics discussed during the seminar included the signs and symptoms that parents should look out for to see if their children are abusing of substances.

Lara Agius emphasised that parents should always keep one step ahead of their children in factual, accurate knowledge about drugs.

Elaine Grech, a family therapist said that although there were no personal characteristics that would either make one immune or a certain candidate for abusing drugs, research has shown that there are certain variables that predispose a person towards addiction.