Schools need strong policies on drugs to protect young people<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It seems a sad but unfortunately an increasing sight on the
\nstreets of Jakarta to see teenagers and even younger children
\nwearing school uniforms and smoking cigarettes. Quite usually in
\ngroups, it is evident that no small amount of peer pressure must
\nbe at play in these children's minds to make them want to smoke.<\/p>\n
Girls as well as boys are out there smoking and children as
\nyoung as junior high age can be seen puffing away on cigarettes.
\nThis has to be a concern. For adults the smoking habit is not
\ngood news but for still growing children the situation must be
\ngravely concerning. In a city such as Jakarta air quality is
\nalways a problem with such huge amounts of pollution and yet
\nmany, many children are choosing to directly suck smoke into
\ntheir lungs.<\/p>\n
Such a habit in the young might seem senseless but evidently
\nit is a habit for many. Many are effectively addicted to smoking
\nbefore they have even reached an age where they might be able to
\nmake mature and informed choices. But this is clearly where
\nguidance and counseling must come in to assist the young and
\nlearning.<\/p>\n
This, then, highlights a key area that schools need to get
\ninvolved in. Schools cannot just think of themselves as places
\nwhere students study academically. Schools have a vital social
\nrole and increasingly a part of this \"social role\" is, in
\npartnership with parents, to help young people to protect
\nthemselves from the dangers and harm that may be caused by
\nillegal drugs, tobacco and other addictive substances.<\/p>\n
Schools have a key role in educating children and raising
\ntheir awareness of the damaging health consequences of drug use.
\nThis can be done particularly effectively by the use of real life
\nstories of young people who have been through the harrowing
\nexperiences of drugs.<\/p>\n
But in addition schools need to be ready and staffed to
\nrespond to drug related issues. For example it is critical that
\nschools are able to assist in the identification and support of
\nany student that may have a drug problem. Sometimes it is
\npossible to see schools that are woefully inadequate in their
\nstaff and provision for drugs problems.<\/p>\n
One school student, (who had fallen in with the wrong crowd,
\nhad become the victim of a pusher and so was quickly falling into
\na threatening habit), was foolishly set aside as a student that
\nwas \"just not managing to keep up with his school work\" and was
\nessentially labeled as \"a lazy student\". His tardiness, absence
\nand disheveled appearance when he did arrive at school were
\nmistakenly seen as confirming the school's beliefs about him.<\/p>\n
However, it was his parents and brothers that effectively came
\nto his rescue and identified the problem. The school here had in
\nessence failed, \"dropped the ball\" and the student was allowed to
\ngo far too far down the road towards a devastating drug problem.<\/p>\n
So how can schools avoid \"dropping the ball\"? It would be
\nentirely foolish and inadequate to complacently think and say
\nthat \"we don't have a drugs problem here\" because it has been
\nproven that such an attitude allows the problems to fester and
\ngrow undetected and so inevitably be far more difficult to tackle
\nlater on.<\/p>\n
In the United States for example there was for quite some time
\na denial of the problem that allowed it to grow, so much so in
\nfact that estimates now suggest that over fifty percent of high
\nschool students and around thirty percent of middle school
\nstudents know where and to whom to go to buy illegal drugs and
\noften the people that they buy them from are fellow students.<\/p>\n
Other statistics from the US are equally alarming and should
\nbe a warning to Indonesia as to the direction that could be
\nfollowed unless caution and care is taken. It is estimated that
\naround seventy-five percent of US students have smoked before
\nthey graduate and around fifty percent have smoked marijuana. A
\nfurther thirty percent have used other illegal drugs.<\/p>\n
It is critical then that schools have policies that they can
\nactively implement to reduce the dangers facing young people.
\nThese would include the use of searches, drugs testing
\nprocedures, counseling and referral to appropriate support
\nagencies where necessary and a consistent and considered program
\nof drugs education as part of the schools general health
\neducation curriculum.<\/p>\n
Some of these measures may seem strong, even heavy-handed, but
\nthat may be what is right and appropriate. A major concern and
\npotential problem such as the issue of drugs and addictions
\ngenerally has to be dealt with in a firm but fair way. Even small
\namounts of drugs use can ruin futures and severely disrupt and
\ndamage the life of a school.<\/p>\n
Measures to address drug related matters, then, need to be
\nhandled with a firm but steady hand. A draconian application of
\nrules with immediate expulsions may not always be most effective
\nand is certainly less likely to be instructive and assisting in
\ndeveloping understanding and knowledge.<\/p>\n
Likewise, efforts such as searches need to be handled with
\ncare. It is important that sufficient grounds for searches be
\nestablished and understood and that such searches are not too
\nintrusive as to represent an unacceptable invasion of privacy.
\nFor example during one such search a teacher chose to open a
\nstudent's personal journal; this was too intrusive and ultimately
\noffensive.<\/p>\n
Schools do, though, very distinctly need policy on drugs. Such
\npolicy should be very inclusive so that teachers, parents and
\nstudents are aware of it and reasonably familiar with what is
\nexpected and to be expected. School drugs policy can then be an
\naddition to a general code of conduct for the school.<\/p>\n
Also, teachers and students should be aware of the procedures
\nthat apply to such policy. This would include search procedures
\nbut may also include procedures in the event of an emergency --
\nsuch as a medical emergency caused by a student's consumption of
\na drug.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, though, the greatest concern and need is when it
\ncomes to having a support staff that is trained and able to
\ncounsel students. Such a team would include guidance teachers\/
\ncounselors, school psychologist, management staff and perhaps
\neven a representative from a drug rehab center.<\/p>\n
Drug education programs are an ongoing necessity; a necessity
\nfor both teachers and students alike. For example one teacher
\nwhen queried about smoking students practically laughed it off
\nwith a \"forget about it\" attitude of \"well most Indonesian men do
\nsmoke\". Complacency such as this is misplaced and practically
\ndangerous.<\/p>\n
The writer is an education consultant.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/schools-need-strong-policies-on-drugs-to-protect-young-people-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }