SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS DIVIDED OVER DRUG TESTS

HONG KONG: Some principals of secondary schools outside the boundaries
for the Tai Po pilot program to be initiated this fall want suspected
drug users in their schools to be tested for drugs.

They are calling for additional government subsidies to pay for the
testing.

About 30 representatives of school councils and principals met with
government officials yesterday to talk about the program of voluntary
testing to be inaugurated in Tai Po.

Rosalind Chan, the honorary executive secretary of the Direct Subsidy
Scheme Schools Council, said several principals suggested at the
meeting that the government subsidize drug testing of students under
suspicion in districts other than Tai Po.

Chan quoted government officials as saying that the students may be
tested for drugs but not under the Tai Po trial project.

Thus, if a student outside the program tests positive for drugs, that
student would not be eligible to be counseled under the Tai Po
program, she said.

Amid rising concern about the right of students to privacy under the
proposed testing scheme in Tai Po, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee
Siu-kwong said there is no disagreement between authorities and the
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data. He said both share in common
the will to stamp out youth drug abuse.

He said under the proposed scheme, students will retain the right to
refuse to undergo testing. On that warrant, he said the privacy of
students is well protected. The fact that the test results are to be
shared among several agencies and individuals, including police
liaison officers, leaves many unconvinced that Lee's promise will be
kept.

A survey carried out by Caritas last week found that 69.9 percent of
youngsters fear students tested positive or false positive in the
proposed drug testing scheme will be stigmatized.

Forset Chan Chi-sing, the worker-in-charge of the Caritas District
Youth Outreaching Social Work Team-Southern, said, "Some may worry
that schools will treat those tested positive for drugs in an unfair
way, so those students will no longer want to go to school. And it
will be a pity to those who register as false positives. They are
innocent. What shall be done to soothe them and their families?"

Some 67.5 percent of the 684 respondents aged from 12 to 30 think that
listening to former drug abusers can serve as a deterrent to their
taking drugs. That's 19.7 percentage points higher than the percentage
who believe the planned program will be effective.

Lam Keung, the social work supervisor of the Caritas Jockey Club
Integrated Service For Young People - Lei Muk Shue, said consultation
with youngsters on the proposed scheme has been insufficient so far.

"If they are not fully consulted and briefed, some of them may come up
with many ways to act against the program. Then the scheme will not
run smoothly and can't help teens," Chan said.