Malaysia
Malaysia has 'a radical approach to the drug problem'. This includes 'tough
laws and vigorous preventive and interdictive measures'. There is an ambitious,
long-term plan to achieve drug-free schools by the year 2012. This involves
implementing drug education at all grade levels, repeatedly reinforcing the
message at each stage. Parental education is part of the work. Drug education
is seen as part of the task of promoting positive personal and social development
using a lifeskills approach. Sustaining the preventive drug education programme
over a long period is seen as necessary to bring about any meaningful change.
The whole programme is based on research on the effectiveness of different approaches
and evaluation is an on-going component of the programme. Drug education is
included in Islamic studies, civics and moral studies, health science studies,
language studies, science studies, arts studies and living skills studies. Teacher
training starts in the training colleges and continues through in service training.
Programmes are school based but community-oriented, and seek to involve other
partners in the schools, such as the parent-teachers' associations and the old
students' associations. This comprehensive approach seems well thought-out,
although it remains to be seen whether schools will be drugs free in 2012.
