TEACHERS SCEPTICAL OF DRUG TESTS

The National Association of School Governing Bodies in KwaZulu-Natal
has welcomed the nationwide roll-out of drug-testing devices that will
allow random testing of urine samples on pupils by early next year.

The drug testing programme was launched at the School Safety summit in
KwaZulu-Natal last week but will only be rolled out across the country
during the course of next year.

The provincial chairman of the parenting association, Reginald
Chiliza, said a majority of parents were more than pleased and that it
was high time teachers focused on educating instead of evading daily
violence among pupils.

Chiliza said drug abuse among pupils was the main cause of aggressive
behaviour at schools.

However, teachers and pupils have raised concern about the random drug
testing.

One Durban teacher said she was terrified of testing pupils for
weapons, let alone drugs.

"The department is not the one that has to deal with these hooligans,
they don't know how violent and aggressive they can be," she said.

Phila Masango, a 16-year-old pupil from Durban, said no one was going
to force him to urinate.

He said by so doing they would be infringing on his dignity and
privacy rights.