Creating Awareness among Students of Counselling Support
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns school initiatives to promote emotional support awareness and strengthen student resilience through the curriculum and co-curricular activities. Dr Lim Wee Kiak inquired about methods to encourage peer support, after-hours assistance, and mental well-being strategies. Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary responded that teachers are trained to identify distress and that students are taught coping skills and peer-support techniques. He noted that schools use 24-hour helplines and community resources for after-hours needs, while parent support groups help reinforce resilience at home. Finally, he stated that the Ministry of Education reviews all suicide cases and is currently undertaking a further review of its prevention strategies and interventions.
Transcript
The following question stood in the name of Dr Lim Wee Kiak –
19 To ask the Acting Minister for Education (Schools) (a) how do schools create awareness among the students to offer their help to those who need emotional counselling and support; (b) what happens when a student needs emotional help outside of school hours; and (c) how do schools go about strengthening the mental well-being and resilience of students to face challenges.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten): Question No 19.
The Minister of State for Education (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Acting Minister for Education (Schools)): Madam, our teachers explicitly teach social-emotional skills and coping strategies from primary school through to secondary school. Our schools also provide opportunities to build resilience when students experience, manage and overcome challenges through co-curricular activities and outdoor education programmes, including camps.
Schools work with parents and provide them with resources to help reinforce these skills and a resilient mindset at home and facilitate parenting workshops through the Parent Support Groups. Our teachers are trained to identify students in distress and to refer them for counselling support by professionally trained school counsellors. Students are also taught to look out for one another and to seek help from trusted adults if they cannot cope. Awareness is further strengthened through posters, helplines and student handbooks. Schools refer students and families requiring support to family service centres in the community, or to mental health professionals.
Outside of school hours, 24-hour helplines are available. Parents can also bring their children to seek medical help from their family doctor or the nearest hospital.
Mdm Speaker: Mr Lim Biow Chuan.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan: May I ask the Minister of State, recently, there were some media reports about students committing suicide; does the Ministry of Education review all circumstances to ascertain why the warning signs about such students were not detected earlier and to see how we can plug the gap and try to make sure that such suicides do not recur?
Dr Janil Puthucheary: Madam, I thank the Member for the question. The Ministry does review every case. Often, there were no warning signs. So, we need to find out what are the other stressors that perhaps were not picked up by the existing system, and the processes that we have. We are undertaking a further review of our strategies as well as our possible interventions to prevent suicides.