Drug abuse among school buses in Egypt plummeted to 0.3 % during the school year 2022/2023 compared to 12% in 2017, Minister of Social Solidarity, Nevine El-Kabbaj, stated.
The finding is based on drug tests administered to 12,875 school bus drivers during the current school year, said Minister El-Kabbaj, who also chairs the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA).
School bus drivers who tested positive for drugs face termination of employment and were referred to the Public Prosecution on charges of drugged driving, El-Qabbaj affirmed.
Intensified campaigns for early detection of drug abuse among school bus drivers will continue throughout the year, the minister said.
The FDCTA’s hotline 16023 receives reports about any suspected drug abuse case among school drivers, said Amr Othman, the director of the FDCTA.
The government launched an anti-drug driving campaign among school drivers in 2014 as part of the state’s initiative for safer roads.
Last May, El-Qabbaj announced that drug abuse among public employees has dropped to 1% of all those tested in 2022, from 8 % in 2019.
In 2021, Egypt began setting an anti-drug law into force on public employees after a six-month grace period given to employees to confidentially report their addiction and receive free treatment ended.
The law allows for suspension or termination of employment for those who test positive for drugs.
