Stressful Hong Kong education system cannot escape blame for student despair

The Education Bureau’s response to rising student suicides has been superficial at best. It must overhaul the system, starting with the homework policy
The government should also set up a student suicide prevention committee

Tik Chi YuenandMarie Pang

Published: 9:30am, 12 Apr 2024

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Student suicides and self-harm in Hong Kong are casting a long shadow over our society – and leaving a stain on our collective conscience.

Behind the cold numbers provided by the Education Bureau are desperate cries of help that appear to have gone unnoticed. Its data on primary and secondary schools show a doubling of suspected suicides over just five years – from 14 deaths in 2018, 23 in 2019, 21 in 2020, 25 each in 2021 and 2022, to 31 last year.

When the loss of precious, young lives is reduced to mere numbers, it is as if the bureau stands at the edge of a vast ocean, unable to fathom the depths of students’ struggles. It is a moment that calls for introspection, for the bureau to confront the urgent need to turn the tide. According to the police, more than 300 schoolchildren attempted suicide last year.

Describing the problem of student suicides with a hail of numbers does not help the public understand the nature of the issue. It underscores the authorities’ persistent downplaying of the matter, evident from their failure to develop targeted preventive policies and their reluctance to confront the depths of students’ mental anguish.

The bureau attributes the rise in student suicides mainly to the challenges of a return to normality after the pandemic, conveniently absolving itself of all responsibility. Its solutions include a “three-tier school-based emergency mechanism” to provide professional help to children at high risk of suicide – a temporary scheme recently extended to the end of this year – and an exhortation for teachers to “show more care”.

These superficial measures, about as much help as a Band-Aid on a festering wound, are incapable of unravelling the complex web of underlying issues.

13:18

Why South Korea has the highest suicide rate among developed nations

Hong Kong students are under immense academic pressure. Surveys and studies show that this pressure is the primary catalyst for student suicides in our city. Unlike adults who may look forward to the comfort of rest after a day’s work, the relentless workload of school is suffocating our students, leaving them shackled to homework until late at night, trying to stay afloat in an endless sea of academic demands.

This fixation on academic excellence is not unique to Hong Kong society; it plagues other places too. Mainland China and Singapore recognise the detrimental effects of this obsession and have taken steps to alleviate the burden on students.

In mainland China, the “double reduction” policy emerged in 2021, sparing lower primary school students from written homework while keeping the same for the upper grades capped at an hour each day. In Singapore, schools adhere to government guidelines, which recommend 0.5 to 1 hour of homework daily for those in Primary 1 to 2, and 1 to 1.5 hours for those in Primary 3 to 4.

Even within international schools in Hong Kong, restrictions on homework have found their place, setting boundaries on the workload per subject, per day, and even per week. For instance, according to the guidelines given to parents by one international school, Grades 1 to 2 should be allotted just 20 minutes of daily homework, with a weekly cap of 100 minutes.

02:53

How stressed out are Hong Kong’s students?

The time has come for the Education Bureau to reimagine the school homework policies that shackle our students. Let them breathe, let them find respite, with no more than 30 minutes of homework per day for lower primary students and a maximum of 60 minutes for those in upper primary. Only then can we offer a reprieve from the relentless weight of the academic burden.

Furthermore, the government must form a student suicide prevention committee to go beyond addressing the immediate crisis. Let it broaden its reach, delving into the depths of students’ and teachers’ mental health, armed with research findings and guided by compassion.

Targeted measures must be implemented, accompanied by a thorough review of the curriculum design, assessment system and further education mechanisms. Indeed, this comprehensive approach presents a significant opportunity to navigate the challenges and guide our students towards a brighter future.

We understand that achieving a comprehensive improvement within the education system requires extensive reforms. But the bureau must take these challenges head-on, starting with the development of homework policies. Procrastination only perpetuates the tragic circle of student suicides. Let us act, for the sake of our children’s well-being and a future where their light shines undimmed by the shadows of despair.

Dr Tik Chi Yuen is a legislative councillor in the social welfare functional constituency

Marie Pang is a community officer with the political party Third Side

If you have suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.