Drug-free schools by 2012

Tan Sri Zulkurnain Awang (left) and Datuk Rosti Saruwono at the signing of a memorandum of understanding on drug prevention education yesterday.

PUTRAJAYA: With schools in the country well on their way to achieving a drug-free status by 2012, the Education Ministry will intensify all efforts to attain the ambition.

Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Zulkurnain Awang said apart from enhancing preventive efforts, random drug tests among students would also be carried out aggressively.

Teachers who take drugs, he warned, would be subjected to drug tests.

"We do not want any teachers who do drugs to be anywhere near our students," he said, adding that teachers had been sacked for taking the illicit substance although the figure was small.

Zulkurnain said this after signing a memorandum of understanding on drug prevention education with Petronas yesterday.
Also present was Petronas education division vice-president Datuk Rosti Saruwono.

Under the agreement, Petronas will provide the ministry with an annual allocation of RM1 million for five years, to assist in the fight against drug abuse in schools.

Last year, the ministry found 117 secondary school students involved in drugs.

However, Zulkurnain did not dismiss the possibility of there being more of them, as the National Drug Agency had established that for every one addict, three or four more go undetected.

Zulkurnain said in line with the ministry's main aim to prevent students from dabbling in drugs, it would together with Petronas hold orientation programmes to instil awareness on the dangers of drugs and substance abuse.

Teachers would also be coached to better promote drug abuse prevention education.

Part of the allocation is also to provide alternative activities to hinder school children from the influence of drug abuse.

The New Straits Times Online: 27 Ogos 2008