Drug-free schools to be rewarded: Sutiyoso

Drug-free schools to be rewarded: Sutiyoso

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will reward schools
which can eradicate drug use from their environments, Governor
Sutiyoso said on Wednesday.

At the same time the administration also planned to punish
schools that failed to halt the consumption and distribution of
drugs, he said.

The governor however could not provide further details of the
scheme because the administration was yet to deliberate the
appropriate rewards and penalties.

The reward-and-punishment scheme, to be imposed at all state-
run elementary, junior and senior high schools in the city, is
designed by the Jakarta administration as a method to free
students from addiction to sedatives.

Sutiyoso said he had recently instructed his deputy for social
welfare affairs Djaelani and senior officials of the city office
of the Ministry of Education and Culture to develop a
comprehensive plan of the scheme, with elementary school students
as the main target group.

None of them have completed the orders, he added.

"I have also instructed them to intensively control the
schools, and soon meet with school principals and teachers to
promote the administration's plan."

Several students in the city have reportedly fallen prey to
drug traffickers after consuming sedatives, sold or distributed
as "candy", or named "smart pills" by the traffickers.

A city official said earlier that pushers had distributed the
drugs, which reportedly contained chemical substances from dog
medication, to elementary school students.

The number of schools targeted by drug pushers has also shown
a significant increase.

A few weeks ago, the administration identified only one state
elementary school in Central Jakarta as a site where students
used drugs.

Now, another elementary school in East Jakarta and five junior
and senior high schools in East, Central and South Jakarta, are
on the list.

Some analysts have suggested that political motivation is
behind the escalating number of drug cases in the capital.

When asked to respond to the allegation, Sutiyoso refused to
comment, saying it was not his brief to comment on any political
motive, even though the claims might be true.

"It is not my position to talk about politics. But what is
important is that I will fight against drugs whoever is behind
it."

Sutiyoso also urged parents to strictly monitor their
children's behavior, "It is parents who play a big role in
eradicating drugs," he said. (ind)