Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Lou Pak Sang said yesterday that the government is working with education groups to set up a concern group for local youths’ mental health
Lou made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a ceremony at the bureau’s headquarters in Avenida de João IV, where he was sworn in as the bureau’s director. The now-defunct Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), of which Lou had been the director since 2018, and the now-defunct Higher Education Bureau (DSES) merged and became the new Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) yesterday.
Lou said that the recent series of unfortunate events regarding local pupils’ suicides alerted the government. He added that the government immediately formed a concern group with The Chinese Educators Association of Macau, Macau Catholic Schools Association, Cáritas Macau and other associations, in the hope that they could have a better system to help youths that are in need of mental support.
Lou said that there are a lot of contributing factors to push someone to commit suicide. He pointed out that due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are in a state of being mentally stressed. He said that Macau’s education system does not have public exams, but academic stress could still exist. He added that the government had provided academic workload guidelines for school to follow, however schools have the freedom to create their own syllabus therefore the guidelines could only be recommended but not imposed.
Lou said that according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) schoolchildren’s level of happiness was determined by three main factors – academic anxiety, school support and family support. He pointed out that school workloads varies from school to school, so the concern group was planning on visiting each school to have a better understanding of its needs.
With regards to school support, Lou noted that on the OECD scale, in 2015, Macau pupils did not feel “at home” or “belonging” at school. He said the number had improved in recent years however the government was still trying to make pupils and students feel more that they belong. He added that the government aimed to provide more training for teachers so they could be more sensitive and aware of their pupils’ situation as well as workshops for pupils about being an “active bystander” during bullying.
Lou said that to improve the third aspect, the government aimed to provide more workshops and talks for parents to support their children.
Lou stressed that government’s slogan for mental support is “be the goalkeeper of the society”, meaning that everyone should “look out” for others. He also pointed out that youths that need professional counselling or support would be prioritised at medical centres. He added that youths can also call Cáritas Macau’s lifeline 2852-5222 for mental support.
New Bureau
The new bureau is headed by a director and three deputy directors. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U appointed Lou last month as the new bureau’s director for a one-year term effective from yesterday. Last month, Ao Ieong appointed Kong Chi Meng, Teng Sio Hong and Iun Pui Iun as the new bureau’s three deputy directors, who were also sworn in during yesterday’s ceremony. Kong had been a deputy director of the now-defunct Education and Youth Affairs Bureau since 2018. Teng was a senior official of the now defunct Higher Education Bureau before his now new position, while Iun previously held a number of senior DSEJ positions.
Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Lou Pak Sang talks to reporters on the sidelines of yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony at the bureau’s headquarters in Avenida de D. João IV.
This handout photo provided by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) yesterday shows DSEDJ Director Lou Pak Sang (right) being sworn in by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie AoIeong U (second left).
Photo Courtesy TDM.
