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Releasing the findings of the survey today (Saturday), a senior Education Officer, Mrs Dorothy Chan, nevertheless noted that the schools showed grave concern over the drug problem.
"Half of the secondary school principals and 84 per cent of primary school heads surveyed were interested in organising activities to beat drugs," she said.
The survey was to study the problem of student drug abuse and needs for support services to tackle the problem. It was conducted by the department between last October and this February.
Questionnaires were sent to 771 primary schools and 421 secondary schools. All were completed and returned, representing a total student population of 893,681.
All local schools were covered by the study while kindergartens. special schools, international and English Schools Foundation schools were not included.
"School heads were asked to estimate the number of students at risk of. occasionally or habitually abusing drugs," Mrs Chan said.
"They also indicated their preferences for support services needed to tackle the problem," she added.
Among 454,267 primary school pupils covered by the survey, 1.054 students. representing 0.23 per cent, were estimated by their school heads to be in the at-risk group: 153 students, or 0.03 per cent, were estimated to be occasional drug abusers and only 76 students, or 0.02 per cent, habitual drug abusers.
In secondary schools, school principals estimated that 9.194 (2.1 per cent) were at risk, 2,197 (0.46 per cent) were occasional and 588 (0.12 per cent) habitual drug abusers.
Mrs Chan noted that group sizes of estimated drug abusers grew from junior to senior classes in primary schools and shrank from junior to senior forms in secondary schools.
Among activities suggested to tackle the problem of drug abuse, the school heads preferred talks for teachers on knowledge of drug abuse (36%), issuing of guidelines on handling drug abuse in schools (21%) and training courses for teachers (14 per cent)," Mrs Chan said.