Team of psychologists to help depressed Hong Kong pupils after four suicides in five days

（SCMP）Schoolswillreceivebetterstudent-counsellingsupportfromateamofpsychologistsprovidedbythegovernmentafterfourpupilscommittedsuicideinfivedays.

ThisisoneofthemeasurestheEducationBureauintroducedafteranemergencymeetingonThursdaywithschool,parentandprofessionalrepresentatives.

Butaprimaryschoolprincipalsaidthebureaudidnotrespondtoademandforatleastonepsychologistbasedineachschool,andclaimedthemeasuresfailedtoaddressfundamentalproblemsintheeducationsystemthatputsomuchpressureonstudents.

Afterthemeeting,educationministerEddieNgHak-kimsaidschoolsneedingextrahelpinstudentcounsellingcouldinvitetheteamtotheircampuses.

Hedidnotsayhowmanyprofessionalstheteamwouldinclude.Hesaidhewouldalsosetupacommitteetoinvestigatetheproblemandrecommendpreventivesolutionswithinsixmonths.

EducationministerEddieNgwithschool,parentandprofessionalrepresentativesaftertheThursdaymeeting.Photo:SamTsang

“Studentsuicidecasesinvolvethepreciouslifeofstudents;thebureauhasunshakableresponsibility,”Ngsaid.“Weneedtoworkcloselywithallstakeholderstotacklerelatedproblems.”

Othermeasuresincludeseminarsandlecturesbypsychologistssothatteachersandparentscanspotemotionalproblemsearly.

ButFungPik-yee,principalofAplichauKaifongPrimarySchoolinApLeiChau,saidtherewasonlyonepsychologistforeverysixprimaryschools,whichwouldmeantheprofessionalscouldonlyvisiteachschool12timesayear,whichwasfarfromenough.Shesaidthebureau’sunwillingnesstogiveschoolsmoreresourcestohirepermanentteachershadleftstaffwithnotimetohelpdepressedstudents.

“Thebureauisonlyscratchingthesurfacewiththesemeasures,”shesaid,notingthatthefundamentalcauseoftheproblemwasascore-orientededucationsystemthathadbeenputtingincreasingpressureonschools,parentsandchildren.

DrNgShun-wing,headoftheInstituteofEducation’sdepartmentofeducationpolicy,said:“Iftheeducationsystemisnotreviewed,[themeasures]won’tmakeadifference.”SinceSeptemberlastyeartoWednesday,therehavebeen22studentsuicides:12secondarypupilsasyoungas11and10universitystudentsasoldas22.TheSamaritanBefrienders,whichrunsasuicidepreventionhotline,willextendthedurationofitsdailyonlinechatforumfrom8pmto2amathelp4suicide.com.hk.

Primaryandsecondaryschoolstudentsfaceintensepressurefromascore-orientededucationsystemthatadministerscity-widetestssuchastheHongKongDiplomaofSecondaryEducation(HKDSE)Examination.Photo:SCMPPictures