Sawt Falasteen - French minister urges focus on mental health of pupils after knife attack

Elisabeth Borne made the announcement after a 14-year-old pupil stabbed to death a teaching assistant in eastern France on Tuesday, the latest in a spate of attacks by schoolchildren in recent years.

In the wake of the assault, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children.

Borne told reporters on Friday she was working with the health ministry "to improve the detection of young people in difficulty or distress".

"If a young person is identified by the national education system and may have psychological, mental or even psychiatric problems, there must be some kind of safety net to ensure they receive care, particularly in psychological medical centres," she told reporters.

France's educational authorities can help detect such cases of distress, "care must be provided in collaboration with all partners", she said in the town of Saint-Quentin in northeastern France.

However, she stressed that nearly 50 percent of positions for school doctors were vacant.

She indicated that there were fewer shortages of psychologists, nurses and social workers, adding she wanted to increase staffing levels.

It is "something I will push for: more psychologists, social workers and nurses," she said.

Borne spoke after the government on Wednesday unveiled a plan to better identify and treat mental health issues.

After the school attack, many right and far-right figures called for a security crackdown but others said a response should be broader and also include a focus on children's mental and physical health.

President Emmanuel Macron has said he is supporting a ban on social media for children under 15.

In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at schools, and Borne reiterated the need to continue efforts to make schools safer.

"We will continue this policy of deterrence with a very clear message," she said. "Schools must remain a sanctuary, weapons have no place in schools."

Q.Bulbul--SF-PST