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Hong Kong budget 2019-2020
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It is believed the move to hire more social workers will enhance teenagers’ mental health and stress resilience. Photo: Shutterstock

All publicly funded secondary schools in Hong Kong to get two social workers in bid to tackle youth suicides as finance chief Paul Chan earmarks HK$130 million for measure

  • To implement the budget measure, an extra 370 school-based registered counsellors will be hired
  • Financial Secretary Paul Chan will set aside HK$124 billion for education sector, or 20.4 per cent of estimated total government spending

Every public secondary school in Hong Kong will have two social workers to counsel pupils in a bid to put an end to youth suicides, according to the budget unveiled by the city’s finance chief on Wednesday.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the administration would spend HK$310 million (US$16.7 million) to implement the measure for the city’s 463 publicly funded secondary schools.

According to government sources, the decision took into consideration recommendations made by the Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, which the government set up in March 2016 to tackle a spate of cases of schoolchildren taking their own lives.

“Teen issues have become increasingly complex over the years and with higher suicide rates, there is a need to earmark more resources to take care of youngsters’ needs,” the source said.

Paul Chan also promised to pay the exam fees of candidates sitting for the Diploma of Secondary Education examination next year. Photo: SCMP

Currently, each school has one social worker stationed on the premises and shares another one with four other schools.

To implement the measure, an extra 370 school-based registered counsellors will be hired.

“It’s important that these workers are stationed at school on a regular basis because those with academic, social or emotional problems are likely to go to someone they’re already familiar with rather than a total stranger,” the source said.

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According to data from the Coroner’s Court, 75 Hongkongers aged between 15 and 24 took their own lives in 2016, of which 29 were in full-time education. The numbers were lower in 2012, with 73 suicides, including 19 full-time students.

It is believed the move will enhance teenagers’ mental health and stress resilience, allowing youngsters to handle negative attitudes and learn how to deal with challenges.

Asked why the calculation for social workers at a school was not based on the student ratio there, the source said the number was formulated according to the needs of pupils.

“It would be wrong to say smaller schools have fewer problems, they may have more diversity among students who face family or financial issues,” the source said.

Committee chairman Paul Yip Siu-fai welcomed Chan’s initiative but expressed concerns that schools may get the wrong impression that the social workers would take on the burden of all counselling sessions and relevant work.

“Just because there is extra manpower, it doesn’t mean all the guidance work will be taken on by the social workers. Other staff have just as much responsibility,” the University of Hong Kong professor said.

“This does not mean the [suicide] problem will be solved once and for all. Everyone at school has a role to continue to look into ways to improve the curriculum to maintain a happy learning environment for students and for them to live a more stress-free life.”

Yip hoped the counsellors could focus more on prevention and not just remedies.

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Education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen said there were no surprises for his sector from the budget, though he welcomed the increased quota of social workers. But he said the measure should be rolled out to primary schools.

“We also wish the teacher manpower situation can be improved,” Ip said.

While the 71-page budget speech did not have a specific section on education, Chan said he would set aside HK$124 billion for the sector, or 20.4 per cent of estimated total government spending – a 12.2 per cent increase from HK$113.7 billion in the previous financial year.

Chan also promised to pay the exam fees of candidates sitting for the Diploma of Secondary Education examination next year. The one-off grant was expected to cost the government about HK$160 million.

This will be the second year the government had made such a promise. However, a source said it had no plans to turn the one-off sweetener into a recurrent measure.

Other measures include providing a one-off means-tested grant of HK$2,500 – HK$500 more than last year – for needy students.

The move is expected to cost around HK$890 million and benefit 357,000 people. A government source said the grant would apply to those from kindergarten to post-secondary education.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Schools to get two social workers to fight suicide crisis
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