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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.8
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.78.8907.
Widjaja, G. (2020). The Importance Of Early Child Drug Education; Indonesian Regulatory Perspective. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 7(8) 561-567.
The Importance Of Early Child Drug Education; Indonesian
Regulatory Perspective
Gunawan Widjaja
Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta,
Dean Faculty of Law, Jakarta, Indonesia.
ABSTRACT
Drug abuse can be happened to anybody. Drug abuse can cause
systematic destruction to the sustainability of a state. It is especially
important that children and teenager should be avoided from using
drugs. There are many kinds of approaches that can be done. One among
them was an early education against drug abuse. This research aimed to
elaborate the importance of early child drug education and try to
provide solutions on how the education must be conducted, based on
Indonesian laws and regulations. Data used in this research were of
secondary data, which mainly consisted of primary legal sources and
secondary legal sources. Data were obtained through literature review
using “google” search machine. Data were analysed using deductive
“legal reasoning” method, with qualitative approach. Research found
that in many jurisdictions, children have been introduced, exposed, and
misuse several kinds of drugs. To avoid it, state shall initiate and provide
support through education. It may involve formal or informal education
institutions. Research also found that early drugs education for children
would be good to provide early knowledge to the children so that they
can avoid misusing drugs. However, it must be taught by competent
person to avoid mis-reception. Indonesia shall has enough sources to
implement it. Under current prevailing legislations, Indonesia shall
have enough support to start the education. Though Indonesia has
sufficient laws and regulations, however Indonesia still needs good
system, competent human resources, technologies, facilities,
infrastructure, and enough financing to implement the laws and
regulations. Inter-departmental cooperation must be set up to support
the implementation.
Keywords: Early child education; drug education; child drug abuse; early
drug education.
INTRODUCTION
The use of drugs among young people was increasing from time to time. From European Monitoring
Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, it can be seen that in 2002 drug dependence of child below 15
is exceedingly rare. In 2004, the prevalence of drug use among children under 15 are still
exceptionally low. The most commonly used of illicit drugs by children below 15 is cannabis. It is
therefore only small number of children below 15 that undergo the treatment for using illicit drugs
[1].
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From World Drug Report 2018, the extent of drug use is higher in young people compared to old
one. Cannabis remained the most used illicit drugs. The relative easier to find cannabis in was one
of the main reasons. Besides cannabis, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and cocaine were also used in
high-income countries [2].
Data from James Reed Drug Use & Abuse Statistics showed that the illegal drugs use remained high
[3]. Based on Indonesian National Narcotics Agency’s (BNN) survey conducted together with Health
Research Centre from Universitas Indonesia in 2017, number of drug abuser in Indonesia is
projected at 1,77% or 3.367.154 person for age between 10-59 years old. Based on the types of
misused drugs in 2017, there was an increase in overall drugs misused. The higher percentage was
psychotropics drugs with the increase of 137,14% over the last year, i.e. from 1.540 cases in 2016
to become 3.652 cases in 2017. Meanwhile based on the suspect, there was also an increase of
135,85% for psychotropics suspects, from 1.771 suspects in 2016 to 4.177 suspects in 2017 [4].
In one on-line news report in 2016, BNN stated that with respect to drug abuse in 2014, 22% of the
drug abusers are students. Based on rehabilitations data in 2015, 19 years old children and below
dominated. Based on the suspects in 2015, children and teenagers below 19 contributed to 4,4% of
the total suspects. It was further mentioned that the drug abuses were now heading to elementary
school, and junior high school students. Such a conditions were not goods, besides the children were
victims, there were also users, and in many situations, they were the drugs dealers [5]. Another on- line report in 2017 event stated that about 27,32% of drug abusers in Indonesia came from students.
The number may further increase because of the finding of new drugs [6]. The numbers given above
are totally worrying and are not good for the future of the nations.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Department of Health and Human Services United States
in 2003 has issued a publication intended to assist the society to know the causes of drug abuse as
well as to prevent it to happen in the future. According to the publication, there were at least 16
prevention principles that must be taken into attention. The book provided several kinds of
preventions that can be taken. Prevention can be made from school, elementary, middle, and high
school with different models. It can also be done through community and family [7].
This research aimed to ellaborate and find out that early education against drug abuse is important
and as whether Indonesian laws and regulations had supported the early drug education for
children
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This is a normative research, since this research assessed the application of norm in early drug
education for children in daily life. It conduct literature review to obtain the necessary and required
data. Literature research was conducted using “google machine” with key words “drug abuse”,
“drugs misuse”, combined with “children”, “prevention” and “early education”.
Data used in this research were seconday data, which are available for public. It consisted of primary
legal sources, secondary legal sources and other sources that related to the subject matters. From
the data collected from literature research, researcher conducted content analysis to review and
find the most relevant and reliable data that will be analysed further. The remaning data were then
analysed using legal reasoning as qualitative method with descriptive and analytical approach in
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Widjaja, G. (2020). The Importance Of Early Child Drug Education; Indonesian Regulatory Perspective. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(8) 561-
567.
order to understand and to answer the issue in this research. Deductive legal reasoning is used
because the research evaluates the possibility to implement early drug education based on the
prevailing laws and regulations. Descriptive approach is used to describe the importance of early
drug education. Meanwhile analytical approach is conducted to analysed as whether Indonesian
laws and regulations provided significant basis to carry out early drug education for children.
Deductive in legal reasoning Triangulation were also conducted in order to verify the validity and
reliability of the data by comparing the contents of the data.
As there were no single definitions given to all research papers on the definition of children, for the
purpose of the research children means human being under or below 21 years old. The content of
the obtained research papers dan data which mentioned children below 21 years old differently will
not make this research become invalid or un-reliable, since the ultimate objective of this research
are to elaborate the importance of early education and to prove that Indonesian laws and
regulations had provided sufficient provisions with respect to the early child drug education.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The Importance of Drugs Education for Children
Reports said that besides bad impacts for those children who misused drug, there were also bad
impacts for children caused by drug abuse in families. They were discussed and reported by many
national organizations. Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) issued a report which
discussed on the use of drugs in the family, its impacts, and implications to children [8]. United
Nation International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) position paper presented in Copenhagen
1995 has raised up the social impact of drugs problem in global context. One among them was the
impact of drug abuse in the family and community [9]. In 1998, Martha M. Dore has also presented
her research which listed many direct negative effects of drugs abuse [10].
Because of the awfully bad impacts of drug abuse for children, the Inter-Agency Committee on Drugs
(IACD) of New Zealand has issued National Drug Policy 2015 to 2020. According to IACD to reduce
and minimize the effects of drug abuse, a collaborative response must be made. This will involve
family, community, and educational institution.[11] In 1995, UNCDP it has also been stated the
importance of education as one of the principal means of preventing drug abuse.[9]
Several organizations, such as United States National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [7], Australian
Department of Education, Science and Training [12], Australian Department of Education and Early
Childhood [13], United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [14], National Crime Protection Centre
(NCPC) of Canada [15], UTRIP Institute for Research and Development [16]; and many scholars
from different countries i.e. McBride [17], Botvin and Griffin [18] and Warren [19] have published
and suggested the importance of early drugs education to combat drugs misuse in children.
NIDA introduced many kinds of educations for elementary schools such as “Caring School
Community Program, Classroom-Centered (CC) and Family-School Partnership (FSP) Intervention,
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies” and many others that can be used to educate not only
the children in the classroom but also involved the role of the family that will promote home-school
relationships. NIDA provided 16 principles that build up the prevention programs as the guidance
for planning and delivery of drug abuse prevention programs [7].
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United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has introduced “School-based education for drug abuse
prevention in 2004.” It said that education to prevent drug in school can be defined as “the
educational programs, policies, procedures, and other kinds of experiences that contribute to the
achievement of broader health goals of preventing drug use and abuse, which included formal dan
informal health curricula.” It set up 10 principles as guidelines [14], compared to the 16 principles
as stated by NIDA [7]. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, all programs must focus on
the available resources, especially the teachers. Teachers must be able to assess the needs of the
students as well as to understand the objectives of the programs. Experimental teaching with
interactive participations in structured learning become priorities [14].
In Principles for School Drug Education prepared by Mayer and Cahill, there were 12 principles that
were used as a framework of the core concepts and values. The principles will support the drug
education practice in school. One of the principles required that drug education must be evidence
base. It should be supported by sound theory and research. It quoted Dusenbury and Falco that
research-based, theory driven curriculum will be the critical component for an effective drug
education. The other principles needed that the education must be conducted in comprehensive
whole school approach in promoting health and wellbeing with student-centered interactive
strategies. However, teachers must be resourced and supported in their central role while
delivering the programs. The programs themselves should have clear education outcomes to be
achieved, while using consistent policy and practice [12].
Following the implementation of the Principles for School Drug Education in 2004, the School
Community Approaches to Drug Education (SCADE) was introduced. The considerably basic
understanding of SCADE is that school education cannot be made isolated from the community.
SCADE was made to involve families and communities through the involvement of local
organizations. SCADE was conducted in two projects, the one year projects in six case studies
conducted in six schools, and two year projects in seven case studies conducted in seven schools in
Victoria [13].
National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) of Ontario Canada, in its publication in 2009, agreed that
school based drugs preventions programs can contribute not only drug abuse but also drugs-related
problems. It must be conducted using evidence-based, interactive, youth-focused, and targeted. The
successful program must have trained professionals that will give their thoughts, small number of
students, intense contact, and booster sessions [15]. Similar forms of educations were also
introduced by Lee [16]. A systematic review was also made in 2003 by McBride that concluded that
school drug education proved to contribute to impact young people behavior [17]. Warren showed
several ineffective interventions and approaches in substance use prevention for young people.
They are mostly related to standalone, recreational, individual programs [19]. Botvin and Griffin
showed that not all school based education provided the same good results. Only teaching based on
social resistance skills seemed to give best result. Information based and affective based education
were in-effective. To be successful the education must provide psychosocial factors with evidence
based must be involved [18].
Child (Drugs Misuse Prevention) Education in Indonesia
Indonesian national education system is regulated in Law No.20 Year 2003 regarding National
Education System (NES Law). Based on the NES Law of Education there were “formal education,
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Widjaja, G. (2020). The Importance Of Early Child Drug Education; Indonesian Regulatory Perspective. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(8) 561-
567.
informal education, and non-formal education.” Formal education is defined as a structured and
tiered educational pathway, which consists of primary, secondary, and higher education. Non- formal education is education that can be taken outside formal education which can be carried out
structured, and tiered. Meanwhile informal education consisted of family, and environmental
education pathways.
Besides those, the NES Law also acknowledged early childhood education, long distance education
and community based education. Early child education was defined as coaching efforts addressed
to children from birth until they reached six years old, which is done through providing educational
stimuli to assist physical, and spiritual growth and development of to prepare them for further
education. Long distance education is education in which the students are physically separated from
the teacher and the process of learning involved several learning resources through communication
technology and information and other kind of media. Community based education is an education
conducted based on specific distinctiveness such as religious, social, cultural, aspirations and
potential of the community as the realization of education from, by, and for the community.
Based on Article 6 paragraph (1) of NES Law, every child with ages between seven to fifteen years
old shall follow primary education. The primary education will become the foundation for the
secondary education. The primary education shall take form of primary schools (SD) and Madrasah
Ibtidaiyah (MI) or other schools of the same level, and junior high schools (SMP), Madrasah
Tsanawiyah (MTs), or other type schools with the same level.
With respect to the curriculum, it is made based on national education standards, which must be
developed with the principles of diversifications in accordance with the unit of education, local
potential, and student itself. The curriculum development must consider take into account the
following: “the enhancement of faith and piety, the enhancement of noble character, enhancement
of student’s potential, intellect, and interests; diversity of local potential and environment, demands
for regional and national development, requirement of labor market, development of science,
technology, and arts, religion; the dynamic of global development; and national values.” The
curriculum for primary and secondary education must include: “religious education, civic
education, language, mathematics, science, social sciences, art and culture, physical education and
sports, vocational skills, and local content.”
The curriculum framework and structure for primary and secondary education must be determined
by central government, and developed in accordance with its relevance by every cluster of its
educational unit in every school or madrasah under the coordination and supervision of district/
city levels of, either by the minister that supervise education or religious affairs for primary
education, and by the provincial level for secondary education. For the implementation of the NES
Law, several regulations have been made and promulgated. There are:
1. Government Regulation (GR) No.17 Year 2010 Regarding Education Management And
Implementation as amended by GR No.66 Year 2010 Regarding the Amendment of GR No.17
Year 2010 Regarding Education Management And Implementation;
2. GR No.19 Year 2005 Regarding National Education Standard as amended by GR No.32 Year
2013 Regarding Amendment of GR No.19 Year 2005 Regarding National Education Standard;
3. Ministry of Education and Culture Regulation (MoECR) No.20 Year 2016 Regarding
Competency Standard for Elementary and Secondary Educations Graduates;
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4. MoECR No. 21 Year 2016 Regarding Content Standard for Elementary and Secondary
Educations Graduates;
5. MoECR No.22. Year 2016 Regarding Process Standard For Elementary and Secondary
Educations Graduates;
6. MoECR No. 23 Year 2016 Regarding Education Assessment Standard;
7. Ministry Of Education And Culture Regulation No. 24 Year 2016 Regarding Core and Basic
Competency;
8. Ministry Of Education And Culture Regulation No.20 Year 2018 Regarding Strengthening
Character Education in Formal Education Unit.
Based on the above explanation on the NES Law and the contents of the implementation regulations,
there were no specific provisions that explicitly stated on drug abuse regulations. However, the NES
Law opens the possibility to incorporate it based on the need of the social community environment.
The implementation must be supported by competent teachers in its fields, i.e. someone who really
understand about drugs, evidence-based drug abuse, can communicate actively and have deep
knowledge on drugs educations.
Based on Article 4 point b. Law No.35 Year 2009 regarding Narcotics, BNN has developed the
Prevention Policy and Strategy for Drug abuse. For the implementation, BNN has issued BNN
Regulation No.4 Year 2018 regarding BNN Grand Design 2018-2045. One program that has been
implemented by BNN that need further attention is the Prevention and Eradication of Misuse and
Illegal Circulation of Narcotics (Pencegahan dan Pemberantasan Penyalahgunaan dan Peredaran
Gelap Narkoba abbreviated as P4GN). P4GN has not been optimally enforced and has not reached
all parts of Indonesia because among them is the lack of good human resources. In this capacity for
prevention, BNN can collaborate with Ministry of Education and local authorities to set up drug
abuse prevention education to avoid misuse of drugs by younger generation.
CONCLUSION
Result and discussion conducted above has proven that Indonesian has develop good national
education system. However good system must be followed by enough human resources,
sophisticated technologies, good facilities and infrastructures and sufficient financing. Prevention
need good educators that can provide total understanding to the children that drug abuse is not
good. Collaboration among several institutions seemed to be the most relevant approach to start,
foster and enhanced the drug abuse prevention programs for children.
References
1. European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). (2007) Drug Use and Related Problems
Among Very Young People (Under 15 Years Old): Selected Issue 2007. Lisbon (Portugal): EMCDDA.
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3. James Reed Drug Use & Abuse Statistics, Trends & Data (2019). 9 June 2019, available on https://isum.com/drug- use-statistics/ accessed on 13 September 2019.
4. Pusat Data dan Informasi. (2018). Infodatin Situasi Narkoba di Indonesia. Jakarta: Kementerian Kesehatan RI.
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567.
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