Education dept. officials discuss challenges of giving students drug tests

TACLOBAN CITY, Oct. 6 (PNA) -- Top officials of the Department of Education have acknowledged that several issues need to be resolved before randomly chosen students are made to undergo drug tests.

Education Undersecretary for Governance and Operation Jesus Lorenzo Mateo said the drug testing process is too complicated for minors and requires parental consent.

“This is an interagency effort with the Department of Health (DOH) and Office of the President. We will pursue drug testing, but we just need to tackle issues with different concerned agencies,” Mateo told reporters here Wednesday.

He cited the education department’s many limitations, including administering the test and getting the results, which are the tasks of the health department.

Dina Ocampo, Education Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction, said the department has yet to decide on the specifics of randomly selecting who among the country’s 25 million students would be given drug tests.

“With the huge number, you need to be intelligent about selecting who needs to go through some form of drug testing. This cannot be compulsory because parents will have to give their permission. We have to respect the civil rights of children and the rights of parents over their children,” Ocampo said.

There is also the point of determining the right age for school children to undergo the test, she said, emphasizing that all of them are minors.

“We cannot cover them all because it can create psycho-emotional problems among the children. We have to protect them and consider other indicators,” Ocampo added.

Both officials declined to answer media queries as to when the drug tests will be pursued, explaining that it would all depend on the formulation of the implementing guidelines.

Ocampo noted the need to prepare a program that would help students who test positive for drugs.

“There are many variables to consider and things to be planned because they are children,” she said.

In a recent budget hearing, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said they are “seriously considering” 

an annual drug test for teachers and some students. The department pushed for this initiative after reports came out that a substantial number of self-confessed drug users were young people.

Mateo and Ocampo were in this city on Wednesday to lead the celebration of World Teachers’ Day in Eastern Visayas. (PNA)
CVL/SARWELL Q. MENIANO