Sharing of Counselling Information when Primary School Students Transition to Secondary School and Beyond
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the management and sharing of mental health counselling information as primary school students transition to secondary school and beyond. Mr Darryl David inquired about student mental health trends and inter-agency data sharing, while Minister of State Ms Gan Siow Huang replied that case numbers have remained stable at approximately 16 per 1,000 students. She explained that counsellors facilitate transitions by sharing support strategies with receiving schools on a need-to-know basis, provided parental consent is obtained. Regarding transitions to other agencies like MINDEF, Minister of State Ms Gan Siow Huang highlighted that an inter-agency task force is currently developing continuous care frameworks that prioritize medical confidentiality. These measures aim to provide seamless mental health support while respecting the privacy wishes of both the students and their parents.
Transcript
11 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the number of Primary school students requiring counselling for mental health issues have risen in the last five years; and (b) how are such students managed as they transition into Secondary school and beyond.
The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Deputy Speaker, the number of Primary school students being referred to school counsellors for mental health-related issues was stable between 2017 and 2021. Some of these students may require counselling support even after they graduate from Primary schools. The school counsellors facilitate this by engaging parents to discuss how the counselling support can be extended in the child's new school. With the parents' consent, information such as the strategies to support the child and his challenges will be shared with the receiving school. Such information will be managed sensitively and will only be shared on a need-to-know basis.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Darryl David.
Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): I would like to thank the Minister of State for her reply. Just one supplementary question, Mr Deputy Speaker. I think the Minister of State mentioned that such information will be sensitively managed and shared on a need-to-know basis. Could the Minister of State further explain, with regard to even sharing the information beyond MOE, for example, in the future with other Government agencies, how is that information managed and accessed?
For example, if a male student should need to get mental support, mental healthcare, throughout his scholastic journey, and when he enlists in the Army, would MINDEF have accessibility to that kind of information, which is typically I am assuming, held by MOE. Could the Minister of State please provide some clarity on issues like that?
Ms Gan Siow Huang: I thank the Member for a very good question. We are very concerned about the continuity of mental health care and support for our young people. The Member might also be aware that the inter-agency task force for mental health and well-being has been stood up. MOE is plugged into this task force and we are discussing, in great depth, on how we can provide continuous care as well as to do so in a manner that respects the need for medical confidentiality and also that respects the wishes of the individuals as well as their parents.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.
Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Just a quick question for the Minister of State. She mentioned earlier that the number has been stable. Can I just enquire from the Minister of State what is that number, particularly, for the last year?
Ms Gan Siow Huang: The number of students that require mental health support in our Primary school has been stable for the last five years. In particular, in the last year, the number was about 16 per 1,000 students.