Liu Hong, a deputy to National People’s Congress, deputy Party Secretary and Principal of Dalian University of Foreign Languages, attaches great importance to adolescents’ psychological health education. After survey, she submitted the proposal that the whole society should care about adolescents’ psychological health education to the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress.
According to Liu Hong, universities in Liaoning Province conduct tests and screens on freshmen to assess their psychological health after their enrollment every year. The result of a survey conducted by WHO in 2016 on university students from 21 countries showed that 83.1% of those with mental disorder had had their trouble before entering university. “Therefore, it is the responsibility of the universities, but also the whole education system and society to nurture psychologically healthy university students.” “It is vital to help parents become good parents. Only healthy families can raise healthy children.” Liu Hong suggested that more social consensus should be built with more importance attached to psychological health education and improvements in community psychological health service network and more instructions on communication between couples and family relations should be offered.
“It is an urgent task to have more teachers of psychological health education.” Liu Hong suggested strengthening cultivation on social psychological service teams and talents so as to meet social demands. Meanwhile, the general public should be offered more access to and learn knowledge about psychological health so as to remove the stigma of those with mental illness. Liu Hong proposed that psychological health education should cover the whole period from kindergarten to university. Psychological health education should be included in the curriculum and interpersonal relationship building should be strengthened in the classes and between students and their teachers.
“Music, art, sports and labor education should all be added to the education at all stages, so as to allow the students to cultivate healthy mental state through diverse life and cultural activities.” Liu Hong said that music, colors, and figures were all effective tools for children to express their emotions and address associated problems. Children in middle school need to gain understanding and recognition through their interactions with peers or elders so as to achieve self harmony. Aside from diverse recreational and sports activities, the relationship building in dorms should be paid greater attention to in universities. “To address negative emotions through recreational and sports activities and to build students’ social support networks through good interpersonal relationships, are both important ways for university students to maintain psychological health.”