SCHOOL DRUGS TESTS CLOSER

The national department of education has moved a step closer to
introducing random searches for guns and drugs, and drug-testing, at
schools with the publication of the Education Laws Amendment Bill for
public comment this week.

The controversial bill has been on the cards since last year.
Although welcomed by many schools and educators, it also raised
questions about whether it was constitutional.

The bill seeks to give teachers and principals the right to search
pupils and seize any drugs, weapons or objects that could be used to
cause injury.

If the bill is accepted teachers will also have the right to conduct
urine tests on pupils suspected of using "unlawful intoxicating or
stupefying substances".

Camps Bay High School principal David de Korte said today that while
he agreed that the bill was "quite controversial", schools could not
accurately determine the full extent of drug problems among their
pupils if random testing was not implemented.

He said the school had already implemented a system that encouraged
pupils to volunteer for drug tests and confronted pupils suspected of
using drugs. The pupils were tested only with their parents' permission.

Spine Road High school principal Riyaadh Najaar said today the school
welcomed the bill and believed it would strengthen the hand of
teachers and governing bodies.

"Anything that will ensure a safe school environment is welcomed," said Najaar.

"However, it should not be the responsibility of teacher and
principals to implement the law, but the department should train
people to do this."

Najaar said he was also concerned about how guilty parties would be sanctioned.

"We would need to send a strong message to anybody found guilty."

He was backed by Manenberg High principal, Thurston Brown, who said
he was also looking forward to the bill becoming law.

"Up to now we have found a number of dangerous weapons like knives
and screwdrivers but it is risky for us as teachers to start
searching people; hopefully if this becomes a law things will improve."

Gert Witbooi, spokesperson for provincial Education MEC Cameron
Dugmore said the department welcomed the bill as "it is going to
assist in terms of fighting the scourge of drugs in our school".

"We will give schools all the support they need in implementing it,"
said Witbooi.

The bill specifies that the searches must be conducted by a person of
the same gender as the pupil, in private and in the presence of a witness.

According to the bill, it was important to strengthen the existing
measures because the Regulations for Safety Measures at Public
Schools had not adequately dealt with the "mischief" it had attempted
to remedy.

The amendment also contained checks and balances to prevent the new
measures from being abused.

Besides public comment, the bill still has to be referred to the
National Treasury and Department of Social Development and Safety and
Security before it goes before parliament.