THE movement control order (MCO) imposed early this year has significantly affected some of the students’ mental health, according to Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy.
The state Human Resources, Education and Science and Technology Committee chairman said although the students have returned to schools, they are facing difficulties in adapting to a new norm.
He said the students’ mental health, which was impacted to varying degrees during the MCO period, must be looked into.
“Hence, a forum on mental health is important to tackle this problem.
“The forum will be a platform to discuss mental health topics during the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the students.
“The mental health issue must be tackled from the beginning to ensure the students will not be further affected.
“Hence, we will give our full support for such an initiative,” he said in his speech after attending the Penang International Forum on Mental Health 2020 at Wawasan Open University (WOU) in Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah today.
The two-day forum, beginning today and ending tomorrow, saw a total of 140 counsellors from primary schools and 128 counsellors from secondary schools taking part.
Ramasamy added that the state was supportive of such a forum for the sake of the children.
Also present were WOU deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Zoraini Wati Abas and other distinguished guests.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud