There were at least nine suspected cases of suicide in Hong Kong from September to early November, with the youngest victim being only 12-years-old. This is deeply disturbing and regrettable. As students returned to full on classes after three years of pandemic restrictions it should have been a joyful time, however, some have chosen to end their lives.
Are students happy? Lingnan University’s STEAM Education and Research Centre, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Pediatric Society, the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Department of Pediatrics, and the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, conducted the “Hong Kong Children’s Happiness and Life Education Index Survey.”
From March to July of this year, a total of 1,448 students from 10 primary schools and 1,795 students from 10 secondary schools, along with 146 teachers have been interviewed. The results show that the overall happiness index of students has decreased slightly from 6.77 to 6.62 [on a scale of 10] compared to the previous year, while overall academic pressure increased by about 1.5 per cent.
The survey found a significant connection between students’ emotional intelligence and happiness. Emotional intelligence, which includes self-management and emotional regulation, has a crucial impact on happiness. The higher the emotional intelligence, the higher the happiness index.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong temporarily suspended in-classroom teaching and shifted online. This led to a lack of social interaction for many students. When they returned to classrooms, they might have found it difficult to adapt with the more intensive homework, tests, and examinations in various subjects, which led to academic stress. The challenges of interacting with peers and meeting parental expectations can also exacerbate the problem.
If these issues persist, professional help should be sought.
Since 1992, the Diocese of Hong Kong has had student guidance teachers in primary schools providing counselling services. The Primary School Student Guidance Service Coordination Group, is made up of an assistant to the Episcopal Delegate for Education, diocesan primary school principals and professional counsellors.
Starting in 1994, the diocese hired educational psychologists to provide services to affiliated secondary schools, which expanded to affiliated primary schools in 2002.
Today all diocesan schools have educational psychologists providing regular on-campus services. These educational psychologists help schools cater for individual differences among students, which is a part of holistic education.
Life is a sacred gift from God. It must be protected, defended, and served at all stages. “God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” [The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2258]. SE
