There are many challenges that characterize education in our schools. Several factors are responsible for these challenges and constitute the learning barriers associated to academic achievement. In our school and community there are home-related factors which present barriers to academic achievement which include the lack of parental support towards the learners education, poor socio-economic backgrounds of parents and gangsterism and drugs which influence the learners outlook towards education as a whole. There are also school-related factors associated to learning difficulties and underachievement which include inadequate staffing, poor school management, underqualified teachers and other unprofessional behaviors of teachers. (De Villiers, 1997).
Among these the most common and significant barriers relating to learners underachievement in our schools/community are gangsterism and drugs. Learners are constantly influenced by gangs to join them and thereby partake in the distribution and use of drugs. This has a negative impact on their education and results in violence at schools, disruptive behavior and ultimately underachievement. Learners often come to school “high” on their drug of choice and disrupts the classroom and displays aggression towards teachers and peers.
To help alleviate this problem schools should implement a drug policy and support structure to help those addicted to drugs. The policy should be structured in such a way to identify those individuals addicted and provide support to aid them in their recovery. It should also involve the parents and educate them to help monitor their addiction. Those suspected of drug use should be taken for a urinal drug test on the school premises which should be monitored by an appointed individual. Once the results are obtained and indicates positive the following steps should be taken.
The learners parents are to be informed and a meeting should be scheduled where the learner together with his/her parents are to be present. Also to be present at the meeting is a certified psychologist together with the school principal. At the meeting various issues should be discussed addressing the problem at hand and how to further proceed in the recovery of the learner. A support structure should be implemented to help the learner cope with the challenges of the addiction. The learner should also attend compulsory meetings with others in the same situation which can help offer the support he/she might need towards recovery. The psychologist will be at hand to discuss various problems the learner might be facing and which could trigger his/her use. The learner will then be monitored on a continuous basis allowing the school to initiate random drug tests. If the learner is to be found guilty the second time of drug use further steps should be taken which might include detention or even suspension. Learners will still have to attend these meetings and can only enter school once his results of a drug test are negative. This will not alleviate the problem quickly but is a long term solution to end drug use at schools and also aid the learner involved in drugs to think about his future and try to offer support to help him/her get rid of the addiction.
These are just some of the challenges learners face to achieve academic success. Support structures should also be directed at teachers to assist them in meeting academic needs of learners. The teachers contribute most to educational activities by ensuring quality learning and integrating learning support activities and resources to the classroom routine. Learning support is provided by motivation of learners and recognition which fosters academic engagement and makes learners more confident to focus on achieving grades.

Summary
A shocking statistic has emerged in the Daily Voice investigation into the use of the deadly drug in the Western Cape. It reveals how the highly addictive drug destroyed thousands of families and highlighted disturbing new figures of the use of tik in gang-ravaged communities. In a recent finding 2% of South African children are using the drug. Claims are made that 10 times this number in the Western Cape are hooked on the drug. Ashley Potts who is the director of drug counselling said that in the Western Cape 20% of school going-youth are actively using. According to official figures 250 000 people are now addicted to the drug in the province. Thousands of cape mothers have seen first-hand how the drug can destroy lives and one mother’s child committed suicide after he became hopelessly hooked to the drug. There has also been alarming use of the drug in our schools in recent years. Cape schools asked Western Cape Education Department to expel 107 learners for drug related offences last year, 21 learners were expelled for offences relating to the dealing and distribution of drugs at schools, 19 were expelled for possession of drugs at school or being under the influence at school.