Budget debate: New mental wellness curriculum in polys, ITE to encourage students to seek help early
SINGAPORE – A new mental wellness curriculum was launched in polytechnics last year and is being rolled out at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) this year, to raise awareness and understanding of mental health.
The curriculum, which the institutions developed with the Health Promotion Board, also aims to get students to seek help early, said Minister of State for Education Sun Xueling on Wednesday (March 3).
Speaking during the debate on the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) budget, Ms Sun set out how mental health support has been enhanced across the higher learning institutes.
The autonomous universities are promoting mental wellness through briefings during freshmen orientation and university-wide programmes, she said in response to several MPs including Ms Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC), Dr Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah (Jalan Besar GRC) and Mr Shawn Huang (Jurong GRC).
Mr Huang had asked how schools can support students’ mental well-being, among other issues.
“The fear of failure is a constant struggle. The environment for students today has become vastly different from the one from the past,” he said, adding that he is most concerned for their mental well-being.
Ms Sun noted that peer and professional support are both key pillars of mental health.
“From this year, schools will appoint dedicated key personnel to oversee peer support and student well-being matters,” she said, adding that these staff will tap on student peer supporters to help.
MOE will also continue to grow the number of teacher counsellors and equip them further over time.
A refreshed Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum that places stronger emphasis on mental health and cyber wellness education has also been implemented, starting with secondary schools this year, Ms Sun said.
Students learn about topics such as differentiating signs of stress and distress, and healthy habits for positive well-being.
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