Counselling manpower in schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to support the mental health of students.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Mariam Jaafar, Sembawang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education what is the current ratio of mental health professionals, who have been assigned to work with schools, to students in primary, secondary and tertiary schools respectively.

Response

1. All schools are resourced with at least one to two School Counsellors, while each polytechnic and ITE college currently has an average of six counsellors. The autonomous universities similarly employ a varying number of counsellors depending on their enrolment and student profile. Beyond counsellors, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) also offer a support network of teacher- and para-counsellors as well as access to community resources to students with counselling needs. Schools and IHLs will continue to enhance their peer support networks.