Do you agree that drug testing should be done as a requirement for admission to schools? Why and why not?"
I am a graduating student of a well known school in Pampanga after which, will be pursuing my studies in medicine. I have been living in a clean environment having no records of any so called drugs that give impurities into my body and mind. What if suddenly I am approached to do drug testing, what would be the reason for me to agree or not to agree? Have they violated my rights as a student and my ego?
Serious issues come into question when someone is forced to give up urine samples. One of the main issues is the fact that most people won't be found containing drugs. While hundreds of students' rights were violated, excessive amounts of money will be spent. Is the government ready to compensate all the needs and expenses of all the schools in the Philippines? Money is a large reason to do away with drug testing, but more importantly is the intrusion on the rights of students. If there are no indications of a student doing drugs, then where do schools get probable cause to search students' inner possessions?
How then that we have always thought that the right against self incrimination and the right to privacy are our inviolable rights as citizens of this country?
Serious issues come into question when someone is forced to give up urine samples. One of the main issues is the fact that most people won't be found containing drugs. While hundreds of students' rights were violated, excessive amounts of money will be spent. Is the government ready to compensate all the needs and expenses of all the schools in the Philippines? Money is a large reason to do away with drug testing, but more importantly is the intrusion on the rights of students. If there are no indications of a student doing drugs, then where do schools get probable cause to search students' inner possessions?
How then that we have always thought that the right against self incrimination and the right to privacy are our inviolable rights as citizens of this country?
With the status quo, I don’t agree with the drug testing as a requirement for admission to school. However, should be voluntary and with consent of the parents. We are all aware that the circulation of these prohibited drugs has now reached campuses, clubs, cities, and every corner of the streets but that should not be the case otherwise. This is a big issue that needs careful studies on how to prevent the widespread of these illegal substances and not just put on students wanting to fulfill their school life.
Our problem with deliberate reactions of this nature is that in the end, it achieves nothing – it will not prove to be preventive, deterrent, nor reductive. At the very least, what existing surveys would validate that students’ substance use has already surfaced as the number 1 concern, whilst the use of drugs can be prevented by catching the big fish -- the drug lords and the syndicates, not the innocent students.
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