More than a quarter of the city's primary school children are showing symptoms of anxiety serious enough for them to need professional help, according to a new survey by Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service. Controlling parents and stressful studies are quoted as being the main culprits.

The survey, released yesterday, showed that 27.8 per cent of the children questioned displayed symptoms of anxiety sufficiently serious that the organisation said their parents should seek help from medical professionals.

Academic results were the biggest source of stress for 22.7 per cent of children questioned, while 21.4 per cent said they feared scolding or other types of punishment from their parents.
The findings back up Hospital Authority figures showing that the number of children and teenagers seeking mental health services surged by 30 per cent last year to 26,000.

Source: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1876884/t...

British Council comment, by Steve Corry, regional business development manager.

The Hong Kong education system involves a high degree of pressure for students from a very young age, up until graduation from secondary school. Competitive interviews for entrance to kindergarten are common, are students throughout primary and secondary are subjected to high levels of homework and after school tuition.

This highly pressured system is one reason why some families with the means to do so will look to UK Boarding schools as an alternative. On the other hand, while UK schools provide extra-curricular programmes in order to develop well-rounded young people, ‘tiger mums’ may still look for academic excellence and support when selecting a UK school.