CASH CRISIS HITS DRUGS LESSONS

Schools Have Been Forced to Axe the DARE Drugs Education Programme -
After a Cash Crisis at the Charity Which Organises It.

Drugs Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) was pioneered in the UK in
Notts and currently educates 13,000 youngsters in the county.

But the DARE charity is UKP 50,000 short of the funding it needs to
administer the programme - and has been forced to start charging UKP
10 per pupil.

About 30 city and county primaries say they cannot afford the charge
and will ditch the programme at the end of this school year.

Others are being forced to stump up the cash themselves.

DARE chief executive Alistair Lang said: "We did not want to do this,
but budgets are under so much pressure and we cannot meet all our
costs anymore.

"But we are very concerned about the number of city schools who say
they're stopping this. These are the areas and children which need it
most as they have the most serious drug problems."

Delys Cranstone, head at Cantrell Primary in Bulwell, said he had been
forced to drop the scheme

"We did it very reluctantly," he said. "I know how successful DARE is,
it makes a significant difference, but we are already in deficit and
can't afford it. We will do something similar with the teachers but it
will not be as successful."

St Ann's Well Junior has decided to raid other budgets to keep it
going.

Head teacher Andy Fox said: "We were going to stop it but we had a
governors' meeting and decided to keep it going. It will cost us
around UKP 300 but, if it keeps one child away from drugs, it is money
well spent."

Furious parents are demanding the programme is reinstated. Mark Shaw,
whose daughter goes to Whitemoor Primary in Whitemoor, said: "Drugs
are rife nowadays. Our kids need all the help they can get. I would
pay as long as she can get these lessons."