Strengthening Human Relationships in Schools
Readers have shared their thoughts on various topics, including the importance of strengthening human relationships in schools, the need for domestic helpers to have a day off, and the adjustment of public hospital fees. If you have opinions on these issues or any other news, you can share your views by emailing us at letters@scmp.com or filling out this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words.
I appreciate the growing public concern for students’ mental health and I am grateful that lawmakers discussed the issue seriously at the education panel on January 27. I also empathize with the anxiety many parents, educators, and policymakers feel and their sincere wish to prevent further tragedies.
Proposals such as piloting AI cameras that can detect students’ emotions may seem effective in the short term. Yet when we pause and think deeper, the implications are unsettling. In moments of urgency, technological solutions can feel reassuring—but education demands more than speed; it demands clarity of purpose.
As Professor Cheng Kai-ming has advocated, education must “return learning to students” and preserve students’ agency. When we discuss education, the first question should be: what is education for? Only then should we consider how systems, tools, curriculums, and training can serve that purpose. If we hope to nurture reflective, self-aware young people, constant surveillance risks undermining the very capacities we seek to cultivate.
The issue is not simply about detecting unhappy students and making them happy quickly. Emotional wellbeing is rooted in deeper human needs—to be trusted, understood, and meaningfully connected. At Just Feel, our Compassionate School Programme has long focused on strengthening human relationships in schools. This closely aligns with the Education Bureau’s 4Rs Mental Health Charter, which includes relationships.
Crucially, our understanding of relationships includes the ability to build, sustain, and repair relationships—capacities that cannot be outsourced to artificial intelligence. While AI can be a helpful assistant, it can only support teachers who are equipped, willing, and given the space to use it thoughtfully. Emotional care ultimately requires teachers’ own learning, growth, and inner transformation.
We must also ask: how do teachers feel about teaching under constant emotional monitoring? And would those advocating such systems accept being continuously monitored at work? If human connection is replaced by surveillance, what meaning remains in going to school at all?
The experience on the mainland, where a similar system used in one school triggered a backlash and was later suspended, should give us pause. The urgent priority is not more monitoring, but sustained teacher support, professional development, and whole-school approaches that strengthen genuine human relationships.
Today, Just Feel will host a public seminar exploring these questions, with Professor Cheng Kai-ming as one of the keynote speakers. Educators, school leaders, and concerned members of the public are welcome to join the conversation.
Raymond Yang Sze-ngai, co-founder and executive director, Just Feel
Providing Better Rest for Domestic Workers
While Hong Kong residents appreciate foreign domestic workers helping local families, it seems the local authorities have done little about providing them with a better place to relax during holidays.
Walk around Central on weekends, and one can see the cityscape dotted with gatherings of domestic helpers. Not only do they pitch tents on footbridges and pavements near the MTR station, they flock to an infamous gathering place where illegal hawking thrives.
The congregating of domestic helpers in public spaces is a symptom of something else. These workers, who are entitled to their weekly day off, often have limited options. It is high time for the relevant authorities to do something to help them.
Lawrence Choi, Tuen Mun
Understanding the Adjustment of Hospital Fees
I refer to the letter, “Public hospital fee hikes must be walked back” (January 30).
While I sympathize with the sick elders who may stop going to hospital after the fee increases, I cannot agree with the suggestion that the Hospital Authority should reverse course.
We should understand why fees have increased. It is not just because of the budget deficits, but also to prevent abuse of accident and emergency (A&E) services. Under the new policy, patients triaged as critical and emergency cases are exempted from the A&E attendance fee. The new mechanism is intended to reserve A&E services for patients who truly need immediate medical attention.
It is also important to note that before the latest increase, public hospital fees remained unchanged for eight years. It is reasonable to adjust prices, amid rising costs and budget deficits.
Frank Lam, Tuen Mun
