On Tuesday, primary school students in Hong Kong headed back to school, feeling a blend of enthusiasm and nervousness about the upcoming year. The education secretary assured that mental health resources will be enhanced in schools.
While visiting the Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin unveiled a new initiative to promote student well-being.
“This initiative encourages students to support and care for one another to prevent campus bullying. Through our collective efforts, we hope to create an environment where students can develop healthily in body, mind, and spirit,” Choi said.
The Education Bureau’s “Forging Relationships, Nurturing Well-being” school campaign, which begins this month, includes a series of talks designed to help parents, teachers and students adapt to the new school year.
Prabhleen Kaur, 11, a Primary 6 student entering her final year of primary school, told the South China Morning Post that she was thrilled to return but felt pressure from coming exams.
“I feel pretty excited because it’s something new and I can’t wait for the future. But I’m also scared because of the challenges along the way,” said Kaur, an Indian student who was born in Hong Kong.
“This year, I know that [Internal Assessment (IA)] exams are really, really important, but I feel like if I focus enough and work hard enough, I can overcome it.
“I’m so scared for the new start, but I’m going to try to make my last year the best year possible.”
Kaur said her goals for the year included improving her academic performance and extracurricular activities, such as singing in the school choir, where she has been a member for six years, and participating in English debate competitions.
Her best friend, Liyana Samreen, 11, also expressed concerns about secondary school placement.
“I also feel a bit nervous because I want to get into a good school,” said the Primary Six student who moved to Hong Kong when she was two.
To manage the academic workload, she suggested forming study groups during recess or lunchtime. “Instead of playing more, we could study more.”
Despite the stress, Samreen was excited to reunite with friends after the summer holidays. She was seen hugging and chatting with Kaur and other classmates while discussing future study plans.
Samreen also arrived with new school supplies, including a backpack, pencil case, water bottle and lunch bag.
“I’m always excited on the first day of school, especially because it’s my last year. And I want to see how other people treat me and if I can find new friends at school,” she said.
Both students said they were looking forward to learning more about artificial intelligence (AI) this term, having already used the technology to build robot cars and create digital animations in previous years.
Jayden Yan Pak-kiu, 7, a Primary 2 student at the same school, said he felt “a bit nervous” and had butterflies in his stomach, which kept him awake until 4am the night before.
“I’m worried that I won’t be able to make more new friends,” Yan said.
He added that his parents prepared a chocolate sandwich for breakfast and told him, “Don’t give up!” at the school gate.
Jayden set a personal goal to “be a more hardworking child” this year, saying the motivation came from within as he anticipated more challenging coursework in Primary 2.
During her campus visit, Choi emphasised the bureau’s commitment to supporting student well-being.
“In the future, we will continue to support our primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, both in terms of hardware and software, to create a better learning environment for students,” she said.
