Two high-school students plunged to their deaths on the first school day of the new year, apparently because of stress from study pressure.
A 14-year-old girl jumped from Leung King public housing estate in Tuen Mun in the New Territories on Tuesday morning, Sing Tao Daily reported.
It was understood that the girl sent a WhatsApp message to a female classmate at 7am saying she “wants to leave this world.” The classmate immediately called the girl’s mother but it was too late, as the teenager had fallen from height at Leung Wai House on the estate.
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say they found a suicide note revealing that she had been under pressure from her studies.
The girl was a Form 3 student at Shun Tak Fraternal Association Leung Kau Kui College. Tuesday was the first day of school examinations.
The school vice-principal said the girl had been a member of the debate team and had an excellent study performance. She also had good relationships with her classmates.
The school has set up a group to provide counseling to students who need it.
Also on Tuesday, at 5pm, a 17-year-old male Form 6 student died in a fall at Tsz Hong Estate in Kowloon’s Tsz Wan Shan area. He was sent to United Christian Hospital but was pronounced dead, Wen Wei Pao reported.
Police say they found a suicide note that said he was stressed out by family and academic issues.
The boy reportedly had a fair performance at his secondary school in Tsz Wan Shan. It was understood that he was worried about the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination, a prerequisite for university admission, which will take place in April.
Tsui Siu-man, supervisor of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups’ Wellness Mind Center, urged parents to pay attention to their children’s emotional changes, especially if they appear too quiet, spiritless or confused, Ming Pao Daily reported.
She suggested that parents have breakfast with their children on the first day of school after a long vacation, chat with them and show them support.
The Samaritans run a 24-hour multilingual suicide prevention hotline +852 2896 0000 or e-mails can be sent to jo@samaritans.org.hk.
Wow the blame.. Education, government, historical.. Parents.. Just study as best as you can, if fail or receive mediacore grade.. Eh continue.. Life is not just knowledge.. Is experience.. everyone taste failure.. And everyone also experience success.. Is part of life.. If you make decisions take your own life.. Is your fault.. Your own selfish self..
Hong Kong educational system needs requires reform, in a big way. Get rid of the stupid examinations and textbooks. Honestly, it’s so 1950s. Nowhere else on this planet do other educational systems spend so much time drilling for examinations than Hong Kong teachers and students. Hong Kong, your slowly beating your students to death.
Typical parents in Hong Kong, their expectations are way too high from their children with no support. Some parents are even harsh and shouts at their children all the time at home. Parents who shouts and who are angry all the time to their kids, are under the stress. Parents needs to recognise their own stress, becasue children suffers. Hong Kong is a very stressful place to live in, people sleeps so late at night, I saw our neighbours with their young children are still awake at midnight, and they all have to wake up at 5 to 6 am, that is not enough sleep to every member of the family, sleep deprivation is one of the major casuses of stress. Stressfull parents with stressful children, leads to suicides in the family.