A new study shows that a vast majority of teachers and pupils in Hong Kong are suffering from extreme stress due to heavy workload and long study hours. Due to this, most of them are showing early signs of depression.
On Sunday, Sept. 2, a new study by the Professional Teachers' Union showed that more than 80 percent teachers and secondary school pupils in Hong Kong are showing early signs of depression, including feelings of hopelessness, fatigue and sleep disorder.
The teachers say their workload is unmanageable with most of them putting in more than 60 hours a week, while the secondary students spend more than 11 hours a day on taking classes and studying.
Hence, education sector lawmaker Ip Kin Yuen urged the schools to reduce the workload to help reduce stress levels of both teachers and students. He also urged parents to continuously monitor their children, adding that the increasing numbers should not be taken lightly.
"Parents sometimes pay too much attention to children's academic achievements," education sector lawmaker Ip Kin Yuen said (via South China Morning Post). "School-based assessments also exert much pressure on students and students with emotional problems will, in turn, give stress to teachers," he added.
Ip Kin Yuen went on to say that parents and schools should work together to help ease the pressure for the students and their teachers. It would also be better if the teachers are given more time to talk one-on-one with their students.
Back in 2017, a study commissioned by the charity Education Support Partnership has revealed that 75 percent of teaching staff in schools and colleges in the United Kingdom are suffering from depression, anxiety and panic attacks due to fatigue and stress at work.
According to Mr. Pran Patel, a physics teacher at Mark Hall Academy in Harlow, said they often work more than 12 hours every day due to increasing workload. The sheer amount of workload has impacted his mental health.
"Teaching is the best job in the world and the reason for that is I change lives every single day and get paid for it," Mr. Pran Patel said, as quoted by BBC News. "However, there are unnecessary challenges that are put on teachers' day in, day out... I have suffered from bouts of depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness. It's nothing I'm ashamed of. It's just an illness that affects many of us," he added.
