Teachers’ Lived Experiences and Intervention Strategies in Managing Substance Abuse among Rural Secondary School Learners in South Africa

Abstract

Substance abuse among secondary school learners has emerged as a critical challenge confronting educators in rural South African contexts, yet the voices and experiences of teachers navigating this complex phenomenon remain underexplored in scholarly literature. This qualitative study investigates the multifaceted challenges teachers encounter when working with learners who abuse substances at School A Secondary School in Thohoyandou (pseudonym), Limpopo Province. Through semi-structured interviews with five educators, the research reveals a disturbing landscape characterised by classroom disruptions, aggressive learner behaviour, emotional exhaustion among teaching staff, and systemic gaps in professional support structures. The findings illuminate how substances such as cannabis, chove, nyaupe, and alcohol, among others, profoundly compromise the teaching-learning environment, whilst teachers themselves, lacking specialised training in addiction counselling, struggle to balance disciplinary responsibilities with pastoral care obligations. Peer pressure, familial dysfunction, and easy accessibility to drugs near school premises emerged as primary drivers of substance abuse, compounded by parental denial and weak community oversight. The study underscores the urgent need for comprehensive intervention frameworks that incorporate professional counsellors, law enforcement collaboration, parental engagement programmes, and sustained teacher capacity-building initiatives. By foregrounding teachers' authentic narratives, this research contributes empirically grounded insights that challenge current educational policies whilst offering practical recommendations for creating safer, more supportive learning environments in resource-constrained rural contexts.