HONG KONG: At least two secondary schools under direct government subsidy have opted "in" for voluntary drug testing programs planned for the coming school year, even though the schools are outside the Tai Po test area.

Public concerns are escalating over the government's plan to test Tai Po secondary school students for drugs.

Yau Chung-wan, the principal of the Tsung Tsin Christian Academy in Cheung Sha Wan, said it plans to test students for drugs from December until next June. Yau said the school's eagerness to participate arises from the alarming youth drug abuse problem in the city.

"It is getting easier to get hold of drugs, so it now is a matter of urgency that we launch the program right away," he said. "We want to take it as a way to remind students not to take drugs and help them at once if they are found to be drug abusers."

Under the school's plan, laboratory staff will carry out urine tests for drugs on campus twice a week. Twenty students will be randomly tested each time, said Yau.

He said the test results will be shared only with school social workers and the parents of students.

"I will only know the number of students who tested positive and those who came out clean from the lab. They will not be identified," he said.

He said he believed social workers will observe their professional code of ethics and keep data confidential.

Yau said many have raised doubts about the drug-testing trial in Tai Po because test results will be shared with police. The program in his school will not involve law enforcement. He stressed that the planned program is intended to be preventive and that it does not target anyone.

"It will be too late if we wait until problems come up," he said.

In the past five years, none of his students was found to be using drugs, said Yau.

He said the school will spend the next two months consulting students and their parents about the proposal. The scheme will not be implemented unless more than half the students and parents agree to the program and sign consent forms.

Yau said the students who decline to take the test will generally not receive follow-up visits from social workers but the school will give extra attention to them.

He said he expected the seven-month scheme will cost the school up to HK$200,000 but will not lead to any hike in tuition fees.

Yau added there is no plan to require student consent to the drug test at the time of admission.

In Tung Chung, the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College also plans to ask students suspected of using dope to take drug tests in the coming school year.

The school said the test will be voluntary and will be carried out only if the students and their parents agree.

Meanwhile, the embattled Christian Zheng Sheng Association has denied a report appearing in the latest issue of Next Magazine. The magazine story accused the school of managing its mainland charities poorly. The story alleged the group's nursing home in Chaozhou has a low occupancy rate and its children's home in Henan province does not provide kids with sufficient food.

Lam Hay-sing, the group's chief executive officer, called the report untrue but declined further comment.

(HK Edition 08/27/2009 page1)