KANGAR: The Education Ministry is empowering counselling teachers' expertise to ensure students having access to knowledge and assistance in managing mental health issues.
Its minister, Fadhlina Sidek said she took suicide cases amongst students seriously as it reflected their grave mental health issue.
"I view this matter (suicide incidents) as a serious issue and that's why the Education Ministry consistently monitors our children's progress, which includes their state of mental health.
"We are looking into details, including increasing the number of counselling teachers in schools nationwide, besides empowering their expertise ," she told reporters after attending the ministry's national-level Daurah Hadis 40 Imam Nawawi 2024 here today.
Present were Perlis Mufti, Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin and Perlis Education Department director Ros Aza Che Ariffin.
Fadhlina stressed that it is imperative to make sure that students are aware that they have full support from the schools in dealing with mental health issues.
It was reported that a 16-year-old girl suspected of suffering from depression, died after falling from the third floor of her school building in Sungai Buloh, Selangor in March this year.