“Unhealthy” education system blamed for HK's recent suicides

Curriculum development has focused on students chasing international recognition rather than nurturing their personal development. Photo: HKEJ

(EJINSIGHT)

HongKong’sunhealthyeducationsystemhasbeenblamedfortherecentseriesofstudentsuicidesthatrockedthecommunity.

SpeakingatanRTHKprogramonSunday,KristyWongWing-ki,spokespersonfortheSecondaryStudentsParliament,saidthesuicideswerenotduetothestudents’immaturitybuttheirlackofmotivationtolive,AppleDailyreports.

“Wecannotdenytherearefeweropportunitiestomoveupwards,”Wongsaid.

Whilethelocaluniversityadmissionratehasremainedlow,societyregardscollegeeducationasimportant,andthosewhofailtosecureauniversityplaceas“havingnofuture”.

Wongsaidstudentsareworriedovertheirfuture,especiallyiftheylookforwardtoasalaryofjustoverHK$10,000amonthasafreshgraduate.

Thereisalsoahugegapinexpectationsasparentsarehopingthatchildrenwouldsingle-mindedlyworkhardatschool,whilestudentsarelongingformorefreedom.

Asecondaryfivestudentfromtheaudiencesaidmanyparentsstillseeauniversityplaceastheonlygoalfortheirchildren.

Anotherstudentnotedthattherearecommunicationproblemsbetweenparentsandstudents,withparentsfocusingonlyoncareerpathsandnotthepsychologicalhealthoftheirchildren.

EducationConvergencevicepresidentHoHon-kuensaidthelowuniversityacceptancerate,below20percent,haspushedmanyparentstocomparesecondaryschoolsandfavorthosewithhigheruniversityadmissionrecordsandusingEnglishasmediumofinstruction.

HoalsocriticizedthecurriculumdevelopmentinHongKongwhichhasfocusedonstudentschasinginternationalrecognitionratherthannurturingtheirpersonaldevelopment.

PaulYipSiu-fai,directorofHongKongJockeyClub’sCenterforSuicideResearchandPrevention,saidthesecondaryschoolcurriculumisoverloaded,deprivingbothteachersandstudentsoftimetotakeabreakandreflectonthelessons.

Yipsaidparentsshouldnotonlysettheirsightsonauniversityplace.

VerenaLauWing-yin,aseniorspecialistinEducationalPsychologyServiceattheEducationBureau,citedagovernmentslogandevelopedinthe1990sthatcalledonparentstotake10minuteseachdaytolistentotheirchildren’ssharingtheirexperiencesfortheday.

Duringthesesharingsessions,parentsshouldputasideworkandtheirsmartphonesinordertocommunicatebetterwiththeirkids,Lausaid.

ScholarismspokespersonWongTsz-yuethitoutontheEducationBureauforignoringthefactthatthepressurefacedbystudentscamefromHongKong’sproblematiceducationsystem.

“Theproblemscannotbesolvedbyaskingparentstostopfortenminuteseachday[totalktotheirkids],”Wongsaid.

LegislatorFernandoCheung,fromtheLabourParty,saidthegovernmenthasbeentooslowinaddressingtheissueandthemeasuressofarproposedbythegovernmentwereinadequate.

CheungsaidthechairmanoftheLegco’sPanelforEducationhasinitiallyagreedtoholdanurgentmeetingonthesubjectonMarch21andapublichearingsessionhasalsobeensuggested.

AccordingtotheMingPaoDaily,theHongKongFederationofYouthGroups(HKFYG)hasreceived44requestsforhelpfromyoungpeoplewhofeltdepressedandthoughtoftakingtheirownlivesduringthefirst10daysofthismonth,orabout35percentofallsimilarhelprequestsreceivedin2015.

TheHKFYGsaidtherewerealsopatientswhoseconditionshavealreadystabilizedbutworsenedagainafterhearingreportsofrecentsuicidesonmassmediaandonlinediscussiongroups.

TsangChin-kwok,directorofthenon-governmentalorganizationSamaritanBefriendersHongKong,saiditisdifficultforanaveragepersontofullyunderstandwhatisonthemindofthosewhowanttocommitsuicide.

Infact,apersonwhoisgoingthroughadifficultperiodmayonlycloselinesofcommunicationiftheyfeelinsincerityfromtheonewhoissupposedlyencouragingthem,Tsangadded.

Sevenstudentshavetakentheirownlivesinthepastninedaysandtherehavebeen23casesofstudentsuicidessincetheschoolyearstartedinSeptember2015.