Between April and May this year, 11 school students committed suicide
Students are seen at Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School in Hong Kong in this file photo. (Courtesy: Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School/Flickr)
Lengthy study hours and the burden of a grade-based education system have driven school students to commit suicide in Hong Kong, officials and research reports say.
Between April and May, 11 school students committed suicide, triggering alarm in the education sector, the Hong Kong Commercial Daily (HKCD) reported on Nov.7.
The Hong Kong Social Welfare Department's (SWD) latest Child Fatality Review Panel Report released in November last year indicated that 159 out of a total of 259 child deaths or 61.4 percent during 2016-2018 were due to natural causes.
However, death by suicide occupied second spot with 59 cases (22.8 percent) followed by accidents (8.5 percent), non-natural unascertained causes (3.1 percent), assaults (2.7 percent), and medical complications (1.5 percent).
"Lengthy study hours can increase stress on children"
The report also indicated that among minors the highest number of deaths by suicide occurred among children aged 15 to 17 wherein 39 deaths (15 percent) were reported. A total of 54 suicide victims (91.5 percent) were students.
Academics and officials in Hong Kong say that the burden placed by the current education system on students is too heavy.
Wang Huan, an official at the Ministry of Education feels that lengthy study hours can increase stress on children.
“The loss of sense of meaning and value in learning is also an important aspect of the learning burden, which makes it difficult for students to effectively have a sense of gain and happiness in learning.
“It is also the source of their pressure and resistance to learning,” the official said.
The average weekly study hours of kindergarten, primary and secondary school students were about 49.1, 66.5, and 76.5 hours, respectively. This is much higher than the weekly work hours of full-time employees.
A student in Hong Kong must attend up to nine classes a day, which is higher than in neighboring Chinese territories such as Shanghai (five to seven classes) and Taiwan (five classes).
In a list of reasons for committing suicide, schoolwork problems occupied the top spot with 24 responses (26.4 percent) from a total of 91.
Family relationships occupied second spot with 21 responses (23.1 percent) and the third was mental problems with 12 responses (13.2 percent.)
The other reasons for suicide by children included worry about the future and unknown causes (9.9 percent each), relationship problems with boyfriends or girlfriends (8.8 percent), peer relationship problems (5.5 percent), psychological traumas (2.2 percent) and health problems (1.1 percent).
The report also detailed the methods by which young children took their lives.
One of the most common methods adopted in the 59 suicide cases was jumping from a height, which saw 43 cases (72.9 percent). The other common methods included hanging (13.6 percent), drowning (6.8 percent), gas poisoning or burning charcoal (5.1 percent), and drug overdose (1.7 percent)
"Encourage them to work hard for the things they are interested in"
Chow Tak-fai, principal of Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School in Hong Kong believes that encouragement and building on a student's interests are more important than changing the method of learning.
“The key to happy learning is not to change the mode of teaching activities, but to inspire students' learning motivation and encourage them to work hard for the things they are interested in,” Chow said.
Earlier, Hong Kong chief executive, John Lee Ka-Chiu, had declared more mental health support and inter-professional collaboration for students in a policy address.
“We will strengthen the multi-disciplinary Student Mental Health Support Scheme to identify students in need and make arrangements for them to receive professional support at the first opportunity.”
Lee also said activities that “promote mental health, and convey positive messages through different activities, thereby enhance the understanding, awareness, and interest of students and teaching staff in mental health.”
The policy address also declared Hong Kong’s intention to set up a mental health support hotline and continue to provide online and other forms of support for children and young people in need and their carers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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