Hong Kong should enforce guidelines on pupil exercise time at school, mental health advisory head says
- Under global and local guidelines, all pupils should exercise for at least an hour every day, but Lam says some schools failing to meet amount
- Mental health advisory committee chairman Lam Ching-choi says crisis among students has stabilised and hotline to flag urgent cases may be made permanent
Hong Kong should enforce guidelines on the minimum amount of time pupils spend exercising at school, as some institutions are cutting back to make room for classes, the head of a mental health advisory committee has said.
Dr Lam Ching-choi, the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, on Sunday also said a mental well-being crisis among students had stabilised, and authorities were looking to make permanent a reporting hotline for principals to flag urgent cases.
Under World Health Organization and Hong Kong Department of Health guidelines, all students should exercise for at least an hour every day. But Lam said the minimum time should be enforced as many of the city’s schools were not meeting the level.
“Some schools reduce their exercise time to pursue results,” he told a television programme. “So the issue is how we encourage, incentivise, or even regulate these schools.”
The veteran paediatrician said the current curriculum framework allowed for one hour of exercise for pupils per day, but time allocation varied according to school priorities.
Practising sports could improve psychological health and teach students how to overcome challenges, making them more resilient, Lam said.
Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung, who represents the education constituency, said a single measure was incapable of solving the mental health crisis.