18 drug students expelled

18 drug students expelled

BOGOR: Eighteen students from a state junior high school in Cariu, Bogor regency, were expelled as they were found to have used drugs.

The school was forced to expel the students -- three of them females -- due to pressure from the parents of other students. They threatened to burn down the school building if the 18 students were still admitted to class, a teacher said.

The teacher told reporters last week that the school had discovered that many students took drugs after two third-year students were caught red-handed taking drugs in the school compound. One of the two collapsed due to overdosing.

A raid conducted by the school with the help of the police found that another 16 students also used drugs, especially barbiturate pills.

Head of general affairs of the local education agency Dzen Zaenudin said that he had summoned the school principal and the parents to seek a solution to the problem. "We have to think about the future of the (expelled) students," he said.--JP