Letters | Hong Kong schools can play a vital role in preventing student suicides

Not only should all school buildings be made physically safe to prevent bodily harm, so too should the prevention ethos extend through to all aspects of school life – people, values, practices, teaching methodologies, curriculum and policies

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Schools could set up monitoring and observation systems to identify those at risk of suicide and create a holistic approach to student health. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:30am, 10 Sep 2021

In April this year, it was reported that 23 students in Hong Kong – of primary and secondary school age – were suspected to have taken their lives in the 2019/20 school year, a 15 per cent increase on the previous year. That’s about eight student suicide cases each term, leaving behind bereaved families and many others directly and indirectly affected.

How can this possibly happen?

If any other cause was thought to be accounting for so many avoidable deaths in children, we would surely be outraged and calling for action. Yet mitigation measures are to hand. Research indicates strongly that suicide is preventable.

Everyone has a role to play – government, public health sector and us as individuals. Schools can play a vital role and are uniquely placed to champion suicide prevention under their child protection responsibilities. They understand that adolescence is when children are at their most vulnerable mentally, as the brain transitions from childhood to adulthood, and their judgment may be impaired.

School staff spend more time in a day with their students than their parents do, and witness their behaviours and emotions, and how they may change over time. They can set up monitoring and observation systems to identify those at risk and create a holistic approach to student health. Schools are vital in combating the stigma around suicide and mental health that often prevents conversations from taking place.

Prevention includes practical, emotional, psychological and physical measures. Not only should all school buildings be made physically safe to prevent bodily harm, so too should the prevention ethos extend through to all aspects of school life – people, values, practices, teaching methodologies, curriculum and policies.