Government must provide more school social workers

I NEVER cease to be amazed that we cannot see any end to the tragedy of teenagers committing suicide.

As we know, teenagers are very impressionable. They are sensitive to all incidents which happen in their lives. Students aged between 11 and 13 are the most vulnerable and therefore the most prone to take their own lives.

I am a student and I understand the problems they face.

I can understand the depression some of them feel who have problems with their families, or those who are finding it difficult to cope with the heavy burden of school work.

However, if they are finding that they cannot cope with their workload, they should talk to their teachers.

They can also confide in student representatives and more senior pupils who can help them with their problems.

It is even more important for the Government to employ more social workers in schools.

Every school should have a social group within classes, where class members who have problems can talk about them.

The more social workers there are, the better the chance for students to talk through their problems. Once they see that they can be solved, hopefully, there will be a decrease in the number of suicides.

They must be persuaded that suicide is no solution.

INDERJITPAL KAUR Kowloon