60% of Hong Kong’s suspected student suicides involved children aged 15 or below
Hong Kong education authorities have revealed that at least 60 per cent of suspected student suicide cases in the last three academic years involved children aged 15 or below, urging schools to avoid giving excessive homework so pupils can lead a balanced lifestyle. The Education Bureau also told lawmakers on Wednesday that school principals had directly referred 547 students at high risk of…
Recent data from Hong Kong's education authorities has revealed that 60% of suspected student suicide cases in the past three academic years involved children aged 15 or younger. Education Bureau Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin disclosed that primary and secondary schools reported 30, 33, and 23 suspected suicide cases, respectively, for students aged 15 or below in the years 2023 to 2026.
Primary and secondary schools are required to report all suspected student suicide cases to the bureau for support. In the past 2½ years, school principals have referred 547 high-risk students to the public health system, on average referring around 17 high-risk students each month since December 2023. While suicide rates have declined across most age groups in Hong Kong, they have increased among those under 15, reaching a rate of 2.9 per 100,000, the highest since 2016.
The Hong Kong government has implemented a three-tier system to provide immediate help to students at high risk of suicide or exhibiting signs of severe mental distress. School principals can directly refer severe or acute cases to psychiatric specialist services for urgent intervention. Additionally, the bureau has advised schools to focus on the quality of homework rather than quantity and establish a coordination mechanism to prevent excessive assignments.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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