The Hong Kong education establishment has long been a testimont to hard work and rigorous, if not sometimes robotic, learning. Indeed, from as early as two years old children are subjected to classroom style lessons, including three languages (Mandarin, Cantonese and English), and firm discipline. Back at home, children are further encouraged to work. The reason being that parents, like all parents around the world, want to see their children grow into successful young adults. Indeed, opportunities are created off a firm educational background.
What needs to be mentioned here regards the structure of family in Hong Kong. Unlike most western countries, the typical Hong Kong apartment houses three generations. Also unlike the west, Hong Kong has a very basic, if not utterly undeveloped social security system. With savings either low or unapparent in most Hong Kong families, the onus is left on the working generations to provide an income. Another caveat to Hong Kong life involves a heavy weighting to qualifications. Jobs are normally decided on what university you attend, or what marks you received at almost every level of schooling.
What happens when you have a strict education system and a strong reliance on the working population for even the most basic of necessities? Pressure. Pressure to succeed, pressure to get top marks, pressure to qualify for university. Without social security success becomes the difference between providing food and shelter. Between, sending your children to a better school (thus perpetuating a vicious cycle). When this pressure gets to great, and it certainly does come exam time, the suicide rate spikes.
The catastrophic consequences of such pressure need to be mitigated against. Theories including the provision of better social security have been suggested. However, with Hong Kong upholding a tradition of low taxes and laissez faire market attitude, it is unlikely that funds will become available to make such a radical over haul. The question policy makers must ask themselves is this: can Hong Kong balance the family structure against the thriving economy? Until an answer is found, the pressure cooker will keep on simmering.