Hong Kong schools have reported 27 suspected student suicides in the first 10 months of 2023. The Education Bureau pointed to “greater challenges” faced by students after the full resumption of classes following the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total of 27 fatal suicide attempts were reported by primary and secondary schools in the city as of October, marking a four-year high, Secretary for Education Christine Choi wrote to the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Wednesday.
The number surpassed the annual figures recorded between 2020 and 2022, when face-to-face classes were intermittently suspended due to Covid-19. In 2020, Hong Kong schools reported 21 suspected student suicides. The figure rose to 25 in 2021 and remained the same in 2022.
“It is believed that the upward trend may be affected by the epidemic and the greater challenges facing students after the resumption to normalcy,” Choi wrote in response to questions asked by lawmaker Benson Luk on the prevention of youth suicide.
Post-Covid upsurge
Suicide-prevention groups in the city have raised concerns that youth suicide was on the rise since the school year began in September. Thirty-seven students took their own lives between the beginning of 2023 and early November, according to figures released by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention last week. Student suicide figures peaked in May and October, the experts said, while five students had attempted suicide on school premises.
Hong Kong’s return to normalcy after years of stringent Covid-19 mandates and an unreasonable level of academic pressure in some schools could be the reasons behind the upsurge, The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong said last month.
Suicide was a complicated problem and could not be attributed to any single factor, the education minister wrote in her reply to LegCo. Major risk factors identified by the government from recent suicides involving primary and secondary students included were family, social and relationship problems. Students’ personal problems – such as having to adjust to school, and depression and other mental health issues – may also lead to risk of suicide, she said.
“To address the recent tragic incidents of students, the Government is pooling efforts from all parties through cross-sectoral collaboration to strengthen support for schools, students and parents so as to build a stronger safety net for students,” Choi wrote.
A three-tier emergency mechanism would be implemented to address the recent uptick in student suicide, Choi said, with the first tier focusing on helping schools identify students who may have greater risk of suicidal thoughts or mental health needs.
If schools did not have sufficient manpower to cater to students’ needs, the government, through the second-tier mechanism, would connect them to “external support.” The additional support included registered social workers and professionals such as education psychologists from the bureau or government-supported NGOs, Choi said.
Students with severe mental health needs may also be directly referred to public psychiatric specialist services by their school principals under the third-tier mechanism. They would be given priority by the Hospital Authority, the education chief said.
| 💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the Social Welfare Department 2343 2255. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong. |
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