Statistics on Peer Support Student Leaders Identified and Trained in Schools

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Education (a) on average, how many peer support student leaders have been identified and trained in each school; (b) whether these peer support leaders receive training to support their peers in areas of mental health; and (c) how are such trainings standardised across schools to ensure consistency.

Mr Desmond Lee: Schools train about 5% of their students as Peer Support Leaders (PSLs). School staff use training resources from the Ministry of Education to teach PSLs strategies, such as active listening, responding with empathy, positive coping and encouraging help-seeking, in order to provide basic mental health peer support. In addition, school staff check in regularly with PSLs to share good practices and help address concerns that they may raise. There may be some differences in the training provided across schools, depending on the profile and needs of the students.