The Influence Of Alcoholism On Secondary School Students' Performance In Ibanda District: A Case Study Of Ibanda Town Council

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out in Ibanda Town Council, Ibanda District located in South Western

Uganda. It was intended to investigate into the influence of alcoholism on secondary school

students' performance. The study w:as guided by three research objectives. The first one was to

examine the causes of alcoholism among secondary school students. The second one was to find

out the effects of alcoholism on academic perfo~ance of secondary school students, and the

third one was to iden!ify-the possible strategies that should be adopted to avert alcoholism among

secondary school students. Questionnaires and interview guide were used as a tool to gather this

data from 64 respondents, which composed of headteachers, teachers, and students. Descriptive

and explanatory research designs were used and the data was analysed both quantitatively and

qualitatively. ·

The study findings revealed that most of the students are involved in taking alcohol. Peer

pressure, poverty, befriending drunkards and redundancy, modernity, band wagon influence, for

pleasure, can easily access alcohol, permissiveness, inheritance from elders and having money to

buy alcohol were mentioned as some of the causes of alcohol drinking among students. It was

even mentioned that students take alcohol especially locally brewed waragi on monthly basis.

The study revealed that alcoholism has an effect towards students' academic performance. Too

much spending, diseases, fighting, inability to understand, lack of concentration, loss of respect

and self control, accidents, performance failure and defilement and rape were mentioned as

alcoholism effe_cts on students' academic performance. Even, majority of headteachers, teachers,

and students agreed that they are aware of tli.e· levels of students' academic performance at

secondary level. Majority of respondents mentioned that the current academic performance of

X

students at secondary level were fair as evidenced in table 13 and 15 in chapter four due to alcohol

drinking.

The study concluded that alcohol consumption is still a big problem among the secondary school

students which greatly affects there academic performance in lbanda Town Council. Students use

alcohol as to relieve boredom, reduce tension and anxiety and escape reality. The school

community members were not very concerned with the alcoholism effects to the students'

performance. There are still several hindrances to the attainment of a healthy school society

(alcohol free) in the study area. Therefore, there is need for better government policies especially

on rules and regulations, promotion of health talks, promoting education clubs, mass mobilization

and sensitization like setting up campaigns against the problem. Counseling ideally would educate

people about the potential problem of alcohol abuse and address the broad goal of self - awareness leading to heath life choices.