Stress caused by unrealistic expectations
The news reports of three young secondary school students committing suicide after the Lunar New Year holidays is alarming.
There have been a number of these tragedies over the past few years.
Some people put the blame on the education system in Hong Kong. As a teacher, I completely agree that students face too much stress in their studies. There are those who say this stress comes from the heavy workload and others who blame the fierce competition for an undergraduate place at one of our local universities, but I am not sure if they are right. Fewer students are now taking the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education and in recent years more university places have become available.
I think the real cause of the stress is that perceptions of education have changed and they have done so in a negative way.
We have high expectations of our children and, while there is nothing wrong with that, it comes a problem when these hopes are unrealistic.
Children may be encouraged to aim for the top tier academically when this is beyond their capabilities.