WITH mental health issues among youths on the rise, the launch of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Masterclass for Educators at Stonyhurst International School Penang provided an important platform to equip teachers with the skills to respond to such challenges.
Officiating the launch online recently, Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo said there is an urgent need to build a community of first responders in every school.
He said Penang is facing a worrying rise in youth suicide cases, with 564 cases recorded between 2020 and 2025, averaging about 110 cases annually.
Nationally, suicide cases increased from 981 in 2022 to 1,114 in 2024 before declining slightly to 1,079 in 2025, which he said remained alarmingly high.
“Behind every statistic lies a grieving family and a lost future. Students today face unprecedented pressures — academic demands, social media toxicity, and feelings of isolation in a hyper-connected world.
“We are living through a mental health epidemic. Our children are navigating a world far more complex than the one we grew up in. When they reach breaking point, they often turn not to parents or counsellors, but to their teachers,” Jagdeep said.
He said teachers are often the first to notice subtle changes among students, including withdrawal, irritability, declining performance, or signs of self-harm.
“Teachers are the unsung guardians of student wellbeing. Yet many educators feel unprepared to respond,” he said.
He said teachers cannot be expected to be psychiatrists, but they can be empowered through programmes such as the MHFA Masterclass for Educators, which was organised by the Rotary Club of Georgetown in collaboration with ICCHP Asia and Stonyhurst International School Penang.
Jagdeep said that just as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) stabilises a person during a heart attack, MHFA equips educators with practical tools to respond to mental health crises, including assessing the risk of suicide or harm, listening without judgment, providing reassurance and information, and encouraging professional help.
“This training ensures educators can act in those critical minutes that often decide between tragedy and survival,” Jagdeep said.
He said even if one life is saved because of what educators learn from the programme, the initiative would have been worthwhile.
He said parents must also maintain open communication with their children and seek professional help when signs of distress emerge, while schools and healthcare providers must collaborate to reduce stigma and improve access to care.
Meanwhile, Senator Dr Lingeshwaran R. Arunasalam, who represented Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh at the event, described the programme as meaningful in helping educators identify early signs of mental health issues among students and provide appropriate support.
“As a doctor, I believe that early detection and appropriate intervention are crucial,” he said in a Facebook post.
Citing the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, Dr Lingeshwaran said the prevalence of mental health issues among children aged five to 15 in Malaysia had increased from 7.9 per cent in 2019 to 16.5 per cent in 2023.
“This means that approximately one in six children experience mental health issues,” he said.
He added that teachers play an important role not only in imparting knowledge but also in recognising changes in students’ behaviour, emotions, and academic performance.
Dr Lingeshwaran also expressed his appreciation to Rotary Club of Georgetown president Howard J. Roscoe, Stonyhurst principal Richard Moore, programme sponsor TK Lim, Rotary Club of Georgetown foundation chairman Dr Synthia Surin and the organising committee, ICCHP Asia, and all parties involved in making the initiative a success on Sept 19.
Pix courtesy of Dr Lingeshwaran R. Arulnasalam