Drugs test a must for new foreign students at MDIS

THE Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), one of the biggest private schools here, wants all new foreign students to be tested for drugs before they are admitted.

The school says it wants to sieve out those who might have picked up the habit in countries where the drug culture is prevalent, so that they do not affect other students here.

So starting next month, all new students will be tested for abuse of cocaine, Ice and cannabis, among other drugs.

MDIS will cover the cost of these tests, about $70 per student.

Foreign students already in MDIS and Singaporeans will be exempted.

All foreign students here have to undergo some health screening, including for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes Aids, but MDIS is believed to be the first private school to make drug testing compulsory. A check with other big players, such as the Singapore Institute of Management and Kaplan, showed that none requires such tests.

MDIS is taking a tough line on discipline unheard of at other private institutions, and made headlines last November when it imposed a dress code for students.

It has 12,500 students enrolled in financial, management and communication-related programmes leading to degrees and diplomas. About a third are foreigners from over 60 countries, and between 2,000 and 2,500 new international students join each year.

All new international students will be tested, and those who fail will be given a refund of fees and sent home.

When large numbers are about to be admitted, which is the case on alternate months, a mobile clinic will be set up at MDIS' campus in Stirling Road.

Those who enrol at off-peak times will be tested at Sata Medical Clinics.

Explaining why it is introducing drug testing, MDIS said many of its foreign students come from countries where drug laws are not as strict as in Singapore.

Said its senior manager for student administration, Ms Jamuna Rani: 'In some of the countries they come from, the drug culture is rampant, and we don't want a few students to slip into our system and pollute the rest. To sieve them out, we've made the drug test compulsory.'

So far, she added, none of its students has been caught for a drug offence.

International students at the school welcomed the move.

Malaysian Fong Siew Lin, 19, and Nigerian Christopher Akhigbe, 28, said they were initially surprised to hear of the tests, but accepted it.

Said Mr Akhigbe, a second-year business management student: 'Singapore is generally a drug-free society, so it's important that foreign students abide by it strictly. But I feel it should be extended to local students as well.'

The Central Narcotics Bureau also applauded the move. 'It is important that we have the active cooperation and involvement of the community in containing the drug problem, especially in instances of illicit drug activities among youths,' said its spokesman.

MDIS' tough attitude to discipline now includes random spot checks on its hostels to make sure students are in for the night, and are not up to any shenanigans.

Dress code checks are done in classrooms instead of at the school gates, to target students who come late to avoid being caught. The move appears to be working: Fewer than 10 students have been sent home for wearing indecent or sloppy clothing, such as shorts or slippers, so far this year, compared to 45 caught daily when the checks began.

The prime mover behind the drive to instill discipline and 'proper values' in students is Dr R. Theyvendran, the school board's secretary- general.

He believes MDIS has a role to play in inculcating moral values in its students.

He has made it compulsory for students to watch a four-minute video emphasising filial piety. If they do not, they will not get their graduation certificates.

'In our fast-moving environment, children grow up and forget to show their gratitude,' he said. 'We want an MDIS student to be someone with values, who knows how to show gratitude to his parents, an institution, or the country.'

But he added that there is no iron- fist approach to running the school.

'We do create a lot of fun for them, with activities like cricket, football or Spring festival celebrations,' he said.