Yesterday, two leading public education-linked trade unions that represent teachers, urged the Government and law enforcement authorities not to “raid” schools and disrupt the learning environment of students within the ongoing “Yukthiya” crime fighting programme. The teacher unions alleged that the Police raiding or investigating within schools will have a negative impact on the students and their education.
The call for law enforcement to halt at the gates of national schools, especially in relation to counter narcotics operations, by teachers would undoubtedly confuse foreign observers. In many countries, law enforcement agencies work with teachers and educators to try to keep schools a narcotics free zone, with mixed results. Such law enforcement activity occurs with specially trained officers, teachers and school administrators, working in unison as a community policing initiative, and often employ a range of options to deal with first-time offenders and young offenders.
However, in Sri Lanka, the call to not carryout counter narcotics operations inside schools, may have some rationality due to historical incidents, and trends where law enforcement has acted heavy handedly. Let us not forget that last year, a school student was assaulted and later succumbed to his injuries inflicted by the Police, while investigating an alleged minor robbery of a teacher’s purse. As such, the Police’s history with dealing with schoolchildren, doesn’t indicate a good track record. Nevertheless, while it is understandable why teachers and educators red flag Police about extending programmes such as “Yukthiya” into schools, it is not wise to shutter law enforcement at the gates of schools and keep them out. We have over the past few decades seen what “lawless” spaces in universities have led to, with “ragging”, physical, mental and sexual abuse galore within state universities.
Yesterday (25), the Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) and the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), urged the Government not to conduct any investigations in school premises alleging that the students could be mentally and physically disturbed, and their learning process be disrupted due to such investigations. The unions stated that while they understand the need to eradicate the drug menace from schools, but that it can only be achieved through a comprehensive programme, not through "script driven" programmes. While what the teacher unions have called out may be unpalatable for the State, and may complicate law enforcement, the manner in which “Yukthiya” type operations are carried does little to build confidence in the logic behind the operations and its motives.
The “Yukthiya” operation, a well-publicised, choreographed and a widely televised “drag net”-style large-scale effort, has up-to-date proved to be ineffective in nabbing any drug kingpins and their backers. From the get go, “Yukthiya” has a kind of “dramatic screenplay” style and was clearly aimed at “optics” over “effect”. The operation has however managed to increase prison overcrowding. Recent incidents of drug shipments, and multiple drug-related turf wars continuing to add to a national body count, is an indicator that the stated outcomes of “Yukthiya” have not been met. It however, acts as a worthy distraction for a disgruntled populace, who are struggling to get by, and a good platform to make those in charge look like they are really “doing something”.
The Teacher TU’s pointed out that such programmes have been introduced from time to time for the popularity of the Government party, yet, students nor schools benefited. They noted that such programmes should be implemented very carefully since their consequences could directly affect children. It is because there have been such “operations” before, which have come and gone, with little to show of its efforts, teachers and academics fear the intentions behind the operations, and the impact such efforts will have on schoolchildren. The fact that teachers state such is an obvious reflection of the respect and stature of law enforcement in Sri Lanka.
What is needed from the State and the law enforcement authorities are better formulated, targeted operations with broader stakeholder buy-in. Schools and youth are especially vulnerable to narcotics abuse, and countermeasures for such trends need to be done with sound planning, not with jack boot tactics. The law enforcement agencies must work closely with all stakeholders and formulate a rounded plan action, with non-conviction options for providing young, impressionable school going students to break addictions, and to find the necessary help they need. Most importantly, the Police must rebuild their tainted image, to a level schoolchildren will have the confidence to share with them information and concerns about their peers, without fear of what might happen to them and how they will be treated.