Hong Kong schoolboy is third teenager to die within eight days
Government considers recommendations from the Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, which was established after spate of student suicides last year
A schoolboy has died after falling from the rooftop of an apartment building in Ma On Shan, the third Hong Kong teenager to die in such circumstances within eight days.
The 15-year-old fell from Kam Pong House in Kam Tai Court on Ning Tai Road at about 10am on Sunday.
Police officers were called to the scene by a security guard working at Kam Pong House. They found the boy collapsed on the ground and soon after confirmed he had died.
A police spokeswoman said initial investigations had found “no suspicious circumstances”, adding they had yet to find any suicide note.
The boy’s death follows those of two other schoolchildren over the Lunar New Year holiday.
On February 6, a 13-year-old schoolgirl was found dead after falling from a block in Cheung Hong Estate in Tsing Yi, while a 16-year-old schoolboy died after falling from Lee On Estate in Ma On Shan just one day earlier.
The girl left a suicide note before she fell, prompting further concerns from mental health campaigners over the academic intensity of the schooling system.
They include looking at ways for schools to provide better mental health support to students, as well as suggesting they work harder to promote students’ non-academic achievements.
There have been more than 70 student suicides since 2013.
Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai, a University of Hong Kong academic who chairs the Committee on Prevention of Student Suicides, said a series of factors were usually involved in each case, and urged society to provide support and help by taking into account the role of different stakeholders.
“Apart from exams and results, could schoolchildren be anxious after returning from a long holiday?” he suggested.
“Schools should also be extra careful in detecting any abnormal behaviour among students.”
Yip said he would also follow up on the recommendations submitted to the Education Bureau in November.
Asked about the media’s role in aiding the copycat effect, the professor said coverage this year had become much more restrained compared to last year.
“We’re not trying to sweep the issue under the carpet, but I hope the media will avoid sensationalising their reports.”
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