The Ministry of Education’s Divisional Counsellor for the West, Alice Fong, has reported a concerning trend of more Indo-Fijian girls smoking marijuana while attending school. She shared these observations during her speech at the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji Women’s Conference in Lautoka on Saturday.
Ms. Fong emphasized that parents should not assume that their Indian daughters would not engage in drug use simply because a large percentage of women in the community are of Indian descent. “I have visited schools and am encountering Indian girls who are using marijuana,” she stated.
She encouraged parents to engage in open discussions with their children about drug use, advising that addressing these issues directly does not necessarily lead to experimentation. “Who else will inform them? Therefore, I urge you to educate yourselves, research current statistics, and understand what is happening across the country,” she added.