Officials from the Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) hosted a workshop that was intended to review its anti-alcohol abuse campaign that is targeting institutions of higher learning in the Eastern Cape. The workshop was held in East London, last week.
Spokesperson for the ECLB, Mgwebi Msiya, said the campaign was hosted because of growing reports of increasing cases of alcohol abuse on campuses and was implemented with effect from May 2021.
He said it was attended by the institutions’ representatives, Student Representative Councils (SRC) and presidents from Eastern Cape universities and two TVET colleges.
“They were invited with the aim of unpacking challenges that institutions of higher learning are experiencing in relation to reckless use of alcohol by students and possible strategies that can be adopted to improve the implementation of the ECLB anti-alcohol abuse campaign on campuses,” said Msiya.
He said the workshop resulted in positive solutions and working partnerships.
The SRCs indicated that the biggest problem is first-year students. The ECLB agreed to meet management from the universities to decrease the number of bashes held on campuses.
“We will also have programmes that we will hold in the universities starting from next year, when they reopen,” said Msiya.
He added that they would also have sporting programmes to assist students.
Msiya said lecturers who attended this workshop confirmed that the campuses had problems with gender-based violence. He said they had employed 17 unemployed graduates who will stay on the campuses to run these campaigns, working with the members of the SRCs.
“Other officials have been deployed to Buffalo City College and Lovedale TVET College in King Williams Town. We are willing to assist more colleges, if we find enough in the budget. We will also make sure that we look at the King Sabatha Dalndyebo TVET College in Mthatha because we heard that it also has a problem,” Msiya said.
