CRC/C/15/Add.231 page 10 (b) Amend legislation so as to allow children under 18 to access medical counselling and information without parental consent; (c) Develop and implement programmes for the prevention of mental and emotional disorders among adolescents and train teachers, social workers and others working with children on how to address adolescent mental health issues in a child-sensitive manner. Youth suicide 47. The Committee is highly concerned about: (a) (b) its causes; The increasingly high rate of youth suicide; The lack of qualitative and quantitative data on suicide and attempted suicide and (c) The fact that the police have been designated as one of the primary organizations to deal with the issue of youth suicide. 48. The Committee recommends that the State party undertake an in-depth study of youth suicide and its causes and use this information to develop and implement a national plan of action on youth suicide, in cooperation with Child Guidance Centres, social workers, teachers, health workers and other relevant professionals. 7. Education, leisure and cultural activities 49. The Committee notes the State party’s efforts to reform the education system and bring it into greater conformity with the Convention; however, it is concerned that: (a) The excessively competitive nature of the education system has a negative effect on the children’s physical and mental health and hampers the development of the child to his or her fullest potential; (b) Excessive competition for entry into higher education means that public school education must be supplemented by private tutoring, which is not affordable for children from poorer families; (c) Communication and cooperation between parents and teachers with regard to children’s problems and conflicts at schools is very limited; (d) Although eligibility criteria have been broadened for graduates from foreign schools in Japan applying to university, some continue to be denied access to higher education; (e) Night schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which offer flexible education opportunities, in particular for dropouts, are being closed down;