The new school year begins in September and there is an air of anxiety, particularly amongst parents, for those young students who will be making their way from primary to secondary school. Teachers and pupils are also anxious about how the transition from primary to secondary school will affect some students.

Not only will the new students have to contend with new schools, new class mates, subjects, time tables and teachers, they will also have to learn how to manage their time more effectively in order to keep up academically. The Federation is here to help.Not every student can stand these pressures. Youthline 2777 8899 held a press briefing this week, where Federation staff discussed adjustment counselling, teachers spoke about school support programmes and students shared their own experiences of preparing for the transition. The Federation's Youthline 2777 8899 is there for anyone who needs help. All students are encouraged to call and speak to someone who can help.
To see Youthline's hot tips, visit www.u.21.org.hk
Contact Ms. Nancy Poon Man-ying on telephone 2395 0161 for more information about the Federation's counselling services.

Help for anxious students
It is time for the new school term to start and the Federation's social workers are ready to help with back-to-school problems. When pupils fresh from primary arrive to start their first term at secondary school it is a crucial time. Parents and teachers alike are of course aware of the possibility of problems but sometimes students turn to the school social workers.

We talked to several of them and they told us how important it is for them all to work together, identifying students in need early and nipping their problems in the bud. There are worries about getting to know new teachers, handling new learning methods and new subjects. Moving to secondary school means coping with an entirely new environment. It may be just another of life's great challenges for some but for others the difficulties can be overwhelming.

"Awareness that problems exist is much greater than it was even five years ago," said Constance, "Teachers, parents and the students themselves are now far more likely to notice something wrong and seek our help to deal with it."

"It isn't always easy to find the ones with the biggest problems," she continued. "they often want to hide, especially by the time the problem has become serious. Then they tend to reject help from any authority figure they don’t trust. If we can build up trust early on it really works."

"The teachers help us," said Stanley. "Students keep diaries for them as part of their school work and problems become evident that way. It is sometimes easier to write about how you feel than to talk about it. Once they admit the problem to themselves they realize that they can find a non-judgmental ear in their school social worker. That's when they will seek our attention and start talking."

Constance told us how experience has shown her the need for patience and understanding, being able to sit and listen and then make a professional assessment. This is the essence of the initial approach that the Federation's School Social Work unit now likes to use, giving students the time and space to externalize their doubts and fears, relax and be themselves.

"We let them know that we care, that we are really concerned for their well-being, that we won't take sides and will always be there for them. If we sit down with them early enough we really can help," said Stanley. "I think it is easier for us than for some parents who sometimes simply cannot imagine what is wrong, even if their children try to explain. They aren't taken seriously and the pattern of mutual trust begins to break down. If we are vigilant, with the teachers' help, we can step in at the right time."

"We remind them of their strengths, build up confidence and show them how to re-interpret experiences that seem negative to a young impressionable mind in a positive way. Every individual has something special if they can only see it."

The school social workers know that preventive methods can work if they come into play early enough. The transition from primary to secondary school is critical. Young people's future academic success and self-image often depends on how they feel about themselves and how well they cope with such a major change in their lives.

"We are writing a handbook for teachers and colleagues, showing them step-by-step how to monitor, diagnose and help students who are dismayed or depressed. Until the book is ready we are planning a training scheme for students to help those within their peer-group. It means that when there are not enough social workers to go round they can be 'joyful ambassadors', seeing their friends and classmates through the blues and onwards into a fulfilling, absorbing life at school."

Facts & Figures

Gender ratios: balance in education improving on the Mainland

Almost all of the news about the balance of numbers between genders has been pessimistic of late but there are signs that girls are catching up, if slowly, in one important way. The number of them in higher education on the Mainland has gone up by more than 10% since 2005.* 6.09 million or 45.7% of the total doing undergraduate studies were women in 2004

but the figures slump for postgraduate degrees with only 31.4% female Ph.D students. The figures are better balanced in secondary vocational schools where women outnumber men at 51.5%.

These statistics are interesting to compare with general demographic figures. The global average is 103 to 107** girls for every 100 boys whereas the 2001 mainland census statistics show a serious imbalance of 100 girls to 120 boys. Unofficial reports for certain provinces including Guangdong were even more alarming at 100:130. At the 2005 National People's Congress plenary session the National Population and Family Planning Commission warned that there would be 30-40 million young men without wives by 2020, bringing worries about a surge in crime rates and social instability.

In Hong Kong, there are 5.8% fewer girls than boys up to the age of 19 but then the situation reverses. There are 8.2% fewer men aged 20-29 than there are women. The difference becomes really marked in the 30-44 year old age group where there are over 227,000***, or approximately 21% fewer men than women. Good news for mobile chaps on the Mainland who prefer mature partners.

*South China Morning Post 27 August E3**The Standard 25 August 2005 A9
*** China Daily 2 August 2005 P9
****http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/eng/hkstat/fas/pop/by_age_sex_index.html

Keep your feet flat on the ground

A recent report* stated that 34% of a sample group of Hong Kong school children had flat feet. The group of 576 came from 6 primary and secondary schools in the city and the year-long study was conducted by a private specialist centre. More than 50% of the children found to have flat feet were less than 8 years old and the centre recommends close monitoring and early treatment.

However, advice from the British Orthopaedic Foot Surgery Society and the American Academy of Family Physicians should make parents hesitate before taking their children in for treatment. Both organizations say that in the majority of cases no treatment is required.
"It used to be thought that flat feet in children should be treated with special shoes, insoles or callipers to stop problems developing in later life. We now know that this was wrong. These treatments do not work: children treated in this way end up the same as similar children who are not treated, and the child often refuses to wear the shoes, insoles or callipers. There is no evidence that treating flat feet in childhood prevents problems in adult life and most of these children will not get problems as adults even if left untreated." British Orthopaedic Foot Surgery Society
Well fitting shoes without high heels are highly recommended for all age groups. Good sense rather than following fashion will prevent foot trouble later in life.
* South China Morning Post 23 August 2005 C4
**http://www.bofss.org.uk/html/flat_feet.shtml http://familydoctor.org/106.xml