Society
68 Shanghai students died abnormally last year
By Wang Hongyi (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-05 08:02
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SHANGHAI: The city's primary and secondary school students were involved in 1,717 accidents and suicides, which claimed 68 lives, last year, according to a recent report.
The 2009 Shanghai Primary and Secondary School Students Safety Report, which was released by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission on Wednesday, said more than 41 percent of the deceased victims were girls, a 10.2 percent increase from the previous year, when 71 students died in 1,756 accidents.
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According to the education commission, frosty family relationships, unhappy friendships, sexual harassment and poor academic performance top the reasons for student suicides.
"Girls are more psychologically fragile than boys, and tend to be more prone to depression. In difficult times, girls will feel more stress and are unable to control their moods," said Yang Yongming, director of the Teenager Protection Department of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. "Schools and parents should give more attention to girls and help them let off some steam."
Yang said despite the common reasons, such as depression, anxiety, sexual harassment, that cause psychological troubles of a student depends on his or her age.
"Primary school students are easily influenced by their family environment, while high school students will be more bothered about friendships and academic performance," he said.
"In case of a family crisis, parents should pay full attention to their children's feelings and their psychological endurance. Meanwhile, parents should give their kids respect and support, and not push them too much," he added.
Education authorities are planning to improve students' mental health condition and guide them with more self-protection skills. Schools have been asked to arrange specialized teachers to help children from poor and divorced families.
"I always used to quarrel with my parents, but now we choose to communicate," said Wang Yanying, a middle school student. "If I have conflicts with my parents, we calm down first and try to share our thoughts."
Her mother, surnamed Tan, said: "I used to tell my daughter off at times, but it didn't work. Gradually, I found that communication is more effective," she said.
"Children may not understand parents' thoughts well because we usually look into matters from different perspectives. So, I often talk with my daughter to help her understand my thought process," she said.
Nowadays many teenage girls "fall in love" at an early age, which makes parents quite worried, Tan said. "I note that my daughter seems to have some feelings for boys as she often sends SMSs to some of her classmates. I never stop her from doing so. Instead, I've told her that puppy love is not a priority at her age."
In addition, traffic accidents have become one of the major reasons for student deaths in the city, with 16 students dying in road crashes last year. In 2008, the figure was only five.
Education authorities have called on traffic departments to improve traffic management and ensure road safety near schools and residential areas.
