News
Ministry backpedals after Police school bag search yields nothing
View(s):By Wasantha Ramanayake
Searches in the Western Province this week yielded zero results in terms of student narcotic drug user suspects.
Amid criticism, the Police also now say there is no evidence of widespread narcotic drug use in schools.
As criticism arose over searching schoolbags police also now say there is no evidence of widespread narcotic drug use in school. Pix by Hiran Priyankara
This week, the Ministry of Education said principals will be advised to seek the assistance of teachers, prefects and members of school development societies to search school bags. The ministry asked principals to note an earlier circular making areas around schools free from tobacco-related products, alcohol and other narcotic drugs, a media release said. Committees will be set up at school, zonal and provincial levels to advice principals. Programmes will be held to educate teachers on how to identify and rehabilitate drug users.
Earlier, the Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha had said the Police will be asked to check school canteens, vans, and buses. The Ceylon Teachers Union, general secretary Joseph Stalin, asked whether it is practical to check all 4.3 million students. Student privacy is being violated, he said at a briefing.
The Police should, instead, identify narcotic drugs distributors, he said.
Mr Stalin suggested that the Government is trying to divert attention from serious issues such as severe malnutrition among children.
On December 15, the Police were seen searching bags at schools in Batticaloa town, and three schools in Polgahawela.
Police spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that on Thursday, December 22, from 6.30 a.m. to 8.00 a.m, and noon to 2.30 p.m., about 149 schools in the Western Province were searched. He said 996 retailers near stools were checked, as well as 255 ‘petti kada’, mobile vendors, and 998 vehicles.
The Police only found nine grams of heroin, 2.03g of ‘ICE’, 200g of cannabis and 1.26kg of “Mava” or sweet betel nut products. Forty seven suspects were arrested.
In Nittambuwa, a student was arrested for having a minute amount of cannabis, he said. 
“However, the Police do not have statistics to show that a large number of schoolchildren are addicted to ‘ICE’,” said Mr. Thalduwa. But, school dropouts might use such drugs, he said. “What is widely available are the substances such as sweets and toffees that promote drug addiction among children.’’
He also said: “The Police would not check school premises or students, but do so only on the request of school principals, or on special tips.”
The Police held educational programmes for teachers, parents and children, he said. There is no significant increase in the supply of drugs.
Sri Lanka College of psychiatrists’ president Dr. Kapila Ranasinghe said searches for narcotic drugs will lead to students losing trust in teachers and the school system, as it is a form of unnecessary harassment of children.
“There is already a conducive environment that pushes adolescents to use something. They are already stressed out from outdated disciplinary and teaching systems in schools,” Dr. Ranasinghe said.
Stresses are aggravated by the lack of opportunities for recreational and entertainment activities in schools. He also said the media should report the searches in schools responsibly. “What should be done is to educate them of the harmful effects of drugs.’’
Dr. Ranasinghe accused some local TV networks of indirectly promoting drugs.
“These media show how schoolchildren obtain those narcotic drugs and how they carry drugs into schools, doing enormous damage. These schoolchildren are curious to experiment, and such irresponsible reporting risks children being pushed to use narcotic drugs.”
The media should refrain from openly discussing how narcotic drugs are obtained and used, he said.
A principal in Tangalle said there are students who use cannabis. “They don’t bring cannabis to the school, nor do they use it at school,” he said. They use cannabis at tuition classes, he added.
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