Teaching Students Effects of Problem Gambling

4 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Education (Schools) (a) how has the Ministry incorporated educational material on the effects of problem gambling into the school syllabus; and (b) whether educators are equipped with the necessary training to counsel students who may encounter problem gambling in their homes.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Education (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Education (Schools)): Madam, our Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) and Cyber Wellness lessons teach our students the dangers of online gambling and other addictive behaviours. Students learn to exercise self-control and to turn away from distractions and temptations. They learn how to lead balanced lives and explore outdoor and healthy leisure activities. They also learn how to support their peers who may need extra help.

Teachers who are aware of students facing problem gambling personally or at home will refer them to the school counsellors. Our school counsellors are trained by the National Addictions Management Service which is supported by the Ministry of Health. They are equipped with the skills and knowledge to work with parents to provide appropriate intervention and support for their children in managing addictive behaviour. For more complex cases, schools will refer the students to mental health professionals from the Institute of Mental Health. The school counsellors will also work with the students on coping strategies if any of their family members have problem gambling issues.

Our schools also benefit from outreach programmes and roadshows mounted by external agencies, such as the National Council on Problem Gambling and Touch Cyber Wellness, provided to promote awareness of problem gambling.

Mdm Speaker: Mr Dennis Tan.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member): I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his answers. Just a few supplementary questions. I was just wondering, with the recent exemption of remote gambling, how will the current Ministry of Education (MOE) syllabus be adapted to include the higher risks and warnings against remote gambling?

My second question is: in 2012, the then-Minister for Education said that MOE was developing a core CCE syllabus where key elements of problem gambling awareness and prevention programmes would be given due emphasis in the new syllabus. So, I would just like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary: how will this core CCE syllabus be effective in combating problem gambling in their homes, especially with online gambling?

Finally, I believe that teachers are already overloaded with their various responsibilities and work burdens. What are the Ministry's plans for additional help for teachers to ensure that due assistance is rendered to students with problem gambling in their homes?

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. As I mentioned in my answer earlier, the CCE programme, as well as the Cyber Wellness programme, has been able to reach out to our students not only about gambling or online gambling, but also in other aspects of addictive behaviour. The Member is right to say that we have enhanced our CCE over the years. We have been able to reach out to students not only via one module but different modules at different stages. It is important for us to ensure that it is not only limited to the modules that we offer in school, but also to the society via the external organisations.

In essence, we are providing holistic engagement of our students in school. At the same time, we want to ensure that this whole system is embedded not only as the responsibility of the teachers but also their peers, as well as the whole society.

So, when the Member mentioned about teachers already having a heavy workload, it is not being undertaken by the teachers alone, but also by the school counsellors. Nevertheless, the whole society is responsible to ensure that our children have a balanced life. And it is important for us to have protection for all the different aspects of our life.