In light of the number of suicides among young students, school managers have called on Education Minister Mary Hanafin to provide schools with trained counsellors who have relevant experience in dealing with young people's problems. Speaking at the annual congress last week of the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), general secretary Michael Moriarty said:

“Guidance counsellors should be specifically trained in dealing with issues which affect young people. We have a national suicide prevention strategy and schools should be used because that’s where young people congregate.”

He said there have been tragedies associated with exam time, including a Dublin teenager who took her own life after receiving her Junior Certificate results this month.

“Society places too much pressure on young people to succeed and can make them feel that if you fail, you can’t survive. It’s a phenomenon across the world and we need to address that at school level,” he said. (Source: Irish Examiner)