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New Straits Times (Monday, Feb 18, 2008)
KUALA LUMPUR: The mental health of students should be monitored and taken care of in schools to overcome stress.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said students could be stressed out because of the examination-oriented education system.
The examination-oriented education system had undeniably led parents to pressure their children to perform well in schools.
A mental health education programme could therefore help the students to deal with stress, especially when preparing to sit for major examinations. "The issue of mental health among students must be addressed with a sense of urgency," said Lee.
He referred to the case of 12-year-old Subashini Sivakumar from SRJK (T) Ladang Simpah, Nibong Tebal. She hanged herself last year after failing to do well in her UPSR examination.
"If students do not get help, our nation is going to be burdened with a generation suffering from serious mental health problems in an ever-increasingly competitive global environment." He said statistics compiled by Kuala Lumpur Hospital showed it was becoming more evident that stress at school and home was a major contributing factor to the increase in mental problems in the country."
Among the activities which could be carried out are the promotion of mental health literacy in schools through talks, exhibitions and quizzes."It could be held as part of extra-curricular activities involving parent-teacher associations and school clubs." Partnerships with key agencies should be established to implement and support the mental health education programmes in schools.
There should also be collaboration with education professionals to carry out awareness campaigns or health camps.
"We need to instil basic self-confidence in the child so that any failures or disappointments will be seen as an opportunity to try again, rather than as a lack of ability and taking the road to disaster."
Do not let Malaysia end up in a situation like a neighbouring country did not so long ago.
"A survey there carried out among schoolchildren, aged 10 to 12, showed they were more afraid of failing tests and examinations than of their parents or guardians dying," he said. -- Bernama
So, make learning fun for your children. That's the key. If learning were a game, how stressful is that?
KUALA LUMPUR: The mental health of students should be monitored and taken care of in schools to overcome stress.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said students could be stressed out because of the examination-oriented education system.
The examination-oriented education system had undeniably led parents to pressure their children to perform well in schools.
A mental health education programme could therefore help the students to deal with stress, especially when preparing to sit for major examinations. "The issue of mental health among students must be addressed with a sense of urgency," said Lee.
He referred to the case of 12-year-old Subashini Sivakumar from SRJK (T) Ladang Simpah, Nibong Tebal. She hanged herself last year after failing to do well in her UPSR examination.
"If students do not get help, our nation is going to be burdened with a generation suffering from serious mental health problems in an ever-increasingly competitive global environment." He said statistics compiled by Kuala Lumpur Hospital showed it was becoming more evident that stress at school and home was a major contributing factor to the increase in mental problems in the country."
Among the activities which could be carried out are the promotion of mental health literacy in schools through talks, exhibitions and quizzes."It could be held as part of extra-curricular activities involving parent-teacher associations and school clubs." Partnerships with key agencies should be established to implement and support the mental health education programmes in schools.
There should also be collaboration with education professionals to carry out awareness campaigns or health camps.
"We need to instil basic self-confidence in the child so that any failures or disappointments will be seen as an opportunity to try again, rather than as a lack of ability and taking the road to disaster."
Do not let Malaysia end up in a situation like a neighbouring country did not so long ago.
"A survey there carried out among schoolchildren, aged 10 to 12, showed they were more afraid of failing tests and examinations than of their parents or guardians dying," he said. -- Bernama
So, make learning fun for your children. That's the key. If learning were a game, how stressful is that?