LCQ21: Promoting student mental health
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Question:
According to a research publication released by the Legislative Council Secretariat in October last year, the number of student deaths by suicide in Hong Kong has almost tripled in 10 years to reach at least a decade high of 32 cases in 2023. In addition, it has been reported that from the beginning of the current school year until last month, there have been nearly 20 fatal suicide cases involving students under the age of 19. Regarding the promotion of mental health among students, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of primary, secondary and university students who planned or attempted suicide in the past three years, and among them, the respective numbers of those with special educational needs or a history of mental health issues; whether it has studied the reasons behind these students' suicide plans or attempts, with a breakdown by primary, secondary and university students;
(2) whether, in response to the reasons behind the suicide plans or attempts mentioned in (1), the Government will strengthen relevant targeted measures or support services to reduce the likelihood of student suicide; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) given that in the reply to a question from a Member of this Council on June 5 last year, the Government indicated that it would engage a consultant to evaluate the effectiveness of the Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism, of the results of the evaluation; given that the mechanism is set to expire at the end of this year, whether the Government will explore regularising the mechanism; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) as there are views that "schooling problems", "family relationships" and "interpersonal relationships" are the main reasons for student suicides, (i) whether the Government will study promoting education reform or developing quantifiable indicators for schools to formulate appropriate school-based assignment policies, so as to reduce the learning pressure on students in the long term; and (ii) what targeted measures the Government has in place to combat bullying in schools, in order to safeguard the mental health of students;
(5) whether it will conduct studies to improve the Three-tier Support Model (i.e. the three levels of "Universal", "Selective" and "Indicated") which the Education Bureau has encouraged schools to adopt to promote student mental health, including organising an off-campus support network through cross-departmental, cross-professional and cross-sectoral co-operation to enhance support for schools; and
(6) whether it will deploy additional school-based professional counsellors to provide immediate consultation and referral services, and encourage community members, parents and other stakeholders to show greater concern for the issue of student suicide, thereby widening the support available to schools?
Reply:
President,
The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to the mental health of students, and has been proactively providing support for schools in adopting the Whole School Approach at three levels, namely "Universal", "Selective" and "Indicated" (Three-tier Support Model), to promote student mental health and enhance support for those with mental health needs (including those with suicidal risks). The EDB also collaborates with other bureaux/departments and different stakeholders to take care of students with mental health needs and provide them with support in different aspects through cross-departmental, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. In consultation with the Health Bureau, our reply to the question raised by the Hon Elizabeth Quat is as follows:
(1) As indicated in relevant international and local studies, suicide (including suicidal attempts) is a complicated issue caused by the interplay of multiple factors which are interconnected. These factors are mainly related to interpersonal relationships (including family, social and relationship problems) and personal issues (such as learning and school adjustment, depressed mood and mental illness). Therefore, suicide should not be attributed to any one single factor (such as special educational need or mental illness). The EDB has all along been requiring primary and secondary schools to report suspected fatal suicide cases of students in order to provide appropriate professional support to the schools concerned. However, it is not mandatory for schools to report attempted or planned suicide cases of students, and the EDB does not collect information on cases involving university students.
(2) to (6) Cross-departmental, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration
The Government has been supporting student mental health through cross-departmental and cross-sector collaboration, and established the Advisory Committee on Mental Health (ACMH) in December 2017 to advise the Government on mental health policies. Among others, the EDB, the Department of Health (DH) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have also appointed representatives as ex-officio members of the ACMH to enhance cross-departmental collaboration and facilitate information sharing and co-ordination among departments, with a view to enhancing synergy.
At school level, based on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, the EDB adopts the Three-tier Support Model through the Whole School Approach and multi-disciplinary collaboration to promote mental health and provide support for students with mental health needs. The Government continues to allocate additional resources to enhance the guidance services in schools. Apart from strengthening teachers' training, schools have also set up multi-disciplinary teams (including school-based educational psychologists, guidance personnel and school social workers) to provide appropriate support for students with mental health needs. If students are found to be emotionally disturbed, teachers will refer them to professionals in a timely manner. Starting from the 2016/17 school year, the School-based Educational Psychology Service has covered all public sector ordinary primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. In addition, the EDB and the SWD have been implementing the "one school social worker for each school" and "two school social workers for each school " measures in primary and secondary schools respectively. Each school may, according to its circumstances and students' needs, flexibly deploy related resources, pool together other school resources, or make better use of community resources and professional support, to employ qualified student guidance personnel or procure related services from organisations to enhance the support for students.
Implemented in all secondary schools in Hong Kong since December 2023, the Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism (the Mechanism) is one of the Government's measures to promote cross-departmental, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. The Mechanism aims to, through collaboration among schools, parents and other stakeholders in society, pool together the schools' multi-disciplinary teams, the off-campus support network and medical services to achieve early identification and offer support to students at higher suicidal risk. After reviewing relevant circumstances and gauging the views of the sector, the Government decided to extend the implementation period of the Mechanism to the end of 2025 and enhance the related arrangements including strengthening cross-departmental collaboration. The Government has commissioned a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mechanism, and would closely monitor the overall operation and sustainability of the Mechanism by making reference to the evaluation results.
Three-tier Support Model
Under the Three-tier Support Model, the EDB continues to enhance the curriculum, information dissemination, activities, training and professional support on an ongoing basis to promote student mental health. Measures being implemented in the 2024/25 school year include:
- Implementing the 4Rs Mental Health Charter (the Charter) to promote mental health in schools in a more comprehensive and systematic manner. As at the end of March 2025, more than 690 schools have participated in the Charter, with a number of partner organisations providing various activities. Schools participating in the Charter also make a pledge to join the Whole School Health Programme taken forward by the DH, thereby taking care of the health of students and school personnel in a comprehensive manner.
- Launching the Mental Health Literacy resource packages for students at different learning stages, as well as the one-stop student mental health information website, "Mental Health@School" (mentalhealth.edb.gov.hk), to facilitate teachers, students, parents and the general public to select appropriate resources and strategies.
- Collaborating with the SWD to arrange for non-government organisations to visit secondary schools in need to organise mental health-related activities since February 2024, with a view to enhancing students' awareness of mental health and help-seeking. In addition, the EDB has collaborated with the Shall We Talk Initiative to arrange athletes to visit secondary schools to share the themes of positive thinking and perseverance so as to promote students' resilience.
- Organising about 40 additional thematic teacher training workshops to introduce practical skills, counselling techniques and intervention strategies in supporting students with mental health needs. The EDB also regularly shares the latest information and relevant resources through the "Mental Health@School" Teacher Professional Network, as well as organises thematic workshops for the Teacher Professional Network.
- Promoting parent education through organising the "Caring for Their Heart and Soul, Growing along with Your Children" Parent Education Talk Series for parents of primary and secondary school students in the 2024/25 school year, so as to assist parents to acquire the knowledge and skills in supporting the healthy development of their children and taking care of their children's mental health.
School curriculum and assignments
The aim of education is to foster proper values and positive attitude in students, while leading a healthy lifestyle is one of the learning goals of school curriculum. The EDB released the Primary Education Curriculum Guide (PECG) in 2024, in which clear guidelines and recommended measures for optimising the school assignment policy are provided. The PECG emphasises that schools should adopt the principle of "quality rather than the quantity that matters" in the design and arrangement of homework. Schools should formulate a school-based mechanism to avoid assigning excessive homework to students and monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the mechanism, with a view to creating more space for students. Schools should also arrange a tutorial session in the afternoon as far as possible for students to finish some or all of their homework under teachers' guidance. The Secondary Education Curriculum Guide (2017) also stresses the importance of prioritising quality over quantity in homework, suggesting that balanced development and healthy lifestyle of students should be schools' major concerns in setting their homework policy. Excessive homework should be avoided so that students could have enough time for rest, play and leisure. The EDB also reminds schools to review their prevailing assessment policies, including the frequency of dictations, tests and examinations, as well as the contents, scopes and modes of assessment. Measures include replacing traditional written tests and examinations with flexible and diversified modes of assessment; arranging less dictations, tests and examinations, or cancelling term examinations for individual year levels, particularly Primary One, where diversified modes of assessment instead of tests and examinations should be adopted in the first school term. Assessment at different key stages should be planned and arranged in a progressive manner to alleviate the academic pressure on students.
Apart from the enhanced School Development and Accountability framework to promote self-improvement of schools in related areas, the EDB has also been promulgating the above messages and good practices to schools with a view to creating space for students and promote their physical and psychological well-being through various channels, such as the Charter, circulars, letters, featured articles, video and comic series, and onsite workshops for teachers.
School bullying
The EDB has all along been adopting a "zero tolerance" policy on school bullying and has been promoting a caring and harmonious school culture. In addition, we adopt a multi-pronged approach to implement the policy of preventing and handling school bullying, which includes providing schools with resource packages and teaching materials on the prevention of school bullying, helping schools develop school-based Peer Support networks, as well as launching the Peer Mediation Training Project for Peace Ambassadors and the Harmonious School Net. To further support students and parents in handling student peer conflicts or school bullying issues, the EDB has been providing the "Harmonious School: One-Stop Hotline and Counselling Services" since May 2024, for which registered social workers provide advice, counselling and case referral services for students and parents through the hotline and instant messaging software, as well as on-site support services for primary and secondary schools in need.
Ends/Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
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