Pubdate: Wed, 24 Sep 2003
Source: West Australian (Australia)
Copyright: 2003 West Australian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.thewest.com.au
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495
Author: Wendy Pryer

CUTBACKS HIT DRUG LESSONS

A GIRAFFE puppet and other fun learning tools were in big demand yesterday 
as a group of Helena College Year 2 students found the importance of their 
lungs and the harm drugs can do to them.

But the school drug education program funded by Rotary, WA businesses and 
the State Government could end soon after more than 15 years.

It was one of the services on last week's McGinty hit list.

Life Education WA educator Sal Bellanger said the withdrawal of $175,000 in 
government aid - a third of the service's cost - meant it was likely to close.

Ms Bellanger said the Government's commitment to tackling drug use had to 
be questioned.

A call for compulsory drug education in schools was one of 45 
recommendations from the community drug summit held by the Government six 
months after it came to office.  But the Government said it cannot 
implement this because it is unable to direct schools on what to teach 
students.

Ms Bellanger said Life Education worked with the existing school drug 
education program but in most of the 200 schools it had visited, it was the 
main health education program offered to the students.

Health Minister Jim McGinty said Life Education was important in the 1980s.

"However, it duplicates the School Drug Education Project which provides 
comprehensive, measurable school drug education based on nationally 
identified and agreed principles of best practice," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth