More Students Need to Have Mental Health Monitored

The number of students who need to have their mental health monitored is growing.

The Education Ministry conducted mental health tests on about six-point-six million students at eleven-thousand elementary, middle and high schools nationwide last year.

The ministry said on Thursday that the percent of students who were classified into a group requiring in-depth counseling and close monitoring was recorded at two-point-six percent in 2010. It noted that the ratio steadily increased to three-point-seven percent in 2011 and four-and-a-half percent last year.

The ratio was the largest among middle school students at seven-point-one percent, followed by high schools students at five-point-four percent and elementary school students at two-point-four percent.

The ministry plans to enhance counseling programs at schools and establish relationships between schools and hospitals. It will also station psychiatrists at 60 schools with a significant number of high-risk students.
Reported by KBS WORLD Radio Contact the KBS News: englishweb@kbs.co.kr

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