Suicide Prevention Education in Schools

Education authorities have decided to educate students in order to prevent copycat suicides after a number of recent celebrity suicides. This is the first time that schools have taken part in a national suicide prevention education initiative.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, on February 14, that every school in Seoul would run a class aimed at preventing impulsive juvenile suicide.

Metropolitan offices of Education revealed that new content has been added to The Basic Plan for School Curriculums”, which offers students 21 hours per year of suicide prevention education, and have ordered all schools in Seoul to carry out a work study program to encourage students to respect and value their lives. As a result, the class will be delivered to all Seoul students through self-reasoning and extra curriculum activities, which will take place on a bi-monthly basis in the form of expert lectures or a work-study program, in collaboration with civil groups such as “Life Line.”

The authorities plan to use a mentoring system to prevent school violence and help students who have shown serious warning signs.

Moreover, the authorities will send an information letter to every student’s home, suggesting a date – every fourth Saturday at 9:00 p.m. – to encourage conversation within the family.

The authorities are also planning to distribute the suicide prevention education material – Life, Love and a Happy Future – to schools, and have scheduled suicide prevention training for 700 junior and high school teachers, which is set to take place in May this year.