PIBGN President Prof Mohamad Ali Hassan explained such tests would also help identify those who have been involved in drug dealing.
“We are disappointed that there are teachers who are involved in such activities, even though they are supposed to lead by example,” he told FMT.
Ali said this in response to news that police had arrested a teacher in Sarawak after he was suspected of trafficking “syabu” or methamphetamine in a secondary school.
Apart from teachers, Ali also suggested students undergo such tests as there was a possibility that they too were involved in drug-related activities after being influenced by their teachers.
The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) however took issue with Ali’s proposal, stating it gave the impression that teachers nationwide were a problematic lot.
NUTP President Kamarozaman Abd Razak suggested it would be better to get teachers suspected of being drug addicts to undergo such tests.
“To make it compulsory for all teachers to undergo a urine test would be unfair,” he said, adding that the case in Sarawak was an isolated incident, considering there were 430,000 teachers registered nationwide.