From P Kamalanathan
Last week, during a visit to AIMST University, I met a Form 5 student. He was accompanying his sister to enroll in the university.
The Form 5 student was a straight As student.
When I asked about his ambition, he looked down and said: "Datuk, I am tired."
He is not alone.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) tells us a painful truth: 26.9% of our students aged 13 to 17 suffer from depressive disorders, while 13.1% have had suicidal thoughts, and 9.5% have attempted suicide.
Let me repeat: One in four is depressed. One in 10 has tried to end his/her life.
When I was deputy education minister, overseeing five million students, we worried about UPSR and SPM results.
Today, the Ipsos 2025 survey shows 37% of Malaysian parents worry about their children's mental health more than academic quality, and even more than bullying or social media.
Our children are not failing exams. We are failing to see they are hurting.
Last year, the education ministry recorded 7,681 bullying cases, up from 6,528 the year before. Pisa 2025 reported 27% of Malaysian students are bullied several times a month, higher than the OECD average of 20%.
A Monash study found 16% experience cyberbullying. Behind every statistic is a child who goes to the toilet and cries alone.
The recent tragic incidents in Petaling Jaya and Kedah shocked the nation. But let us be honest: tightening security and installing CCTV alone will not heal trauma, shame, isolation and fear.
What we need is a shift from report cards to "wellbeing cards".
Our new National Education Plan 2026-2035 speaks rightly of Karamah Insaniah, or human dignity. Dignity does not mean only respect for others. It means teaching a child to respect his own mind.
That is why I wish to propose three urgent actions:
1. Make mental health screening routine, not reactive.
We screen eyesight, we screen BMI. Why not mental health?
Studies by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have shown that more than 60% of students show mild symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress, but only 33% are in the normal range. If we catch such symptoms early, we can save a life.
Schools should have biannual wellbeing screenings, which are confidential and conducted by trained counsellors, not discipline teachers.
2. Fix the counsellor ratio and protect their time.
Today one counsellor serves 500 students. How can one person listen to 500 stories?
A counsellor, teacher and friend, who has served for over 20 years in a secondary school, told me recently: "Datuk, we are not short of caring teachers. We are short of time. One teacher cannot be discipline warden, SPM marker, and counsellor all at once."
She explained that in schools, Saringan Minda Sihat is already conducted twice a year. Students identified as critical need counselling sessions and follow-up screening to see whether there is improvement.
So when many students need follow-up, the current counsellor ratio is definitely not enough.
She added that counsellors are not only handling mental health but also have to manage 'murid cicir' (dropouts), Ziarah Cakna (home visits), leadership programmes, vape, smoking and drug issues, character development, career education, UPU, PKSK, career pathways, tracking SPM and STPM leavers, and parent conferences, etc.
She strongly believes that counsellors need more protected time and a better counsellor-student ratio. I agree. She also suggested separating counselling from discipline duties.
We must aim for a ratio of 1:250 in urban schools and 1:200 in high-risk schools.
The HEAL Line 15555 by the health ministry has received 267,873 calls. That shows children want to talk. But they want to talk to someone they see daily, not a voice on the phone.
3. Build peer support, not just punishment.
Selangor's PeerZ model and Monash's Thrive Together 2026 initiative show that when students are trained to support each other, help-seeking increases. The Anti-Bullying Tribunal and Anti-Bullying Act 2026 are important for justice, but peer support is important for healing.
In Sentul where I grew up, my mother taught me: "Education without empathy is just information."
We have become excellent at providing information. We must now become excellent at providing empathy.
I told that Form 5 boy who I met at AIMST: Being tired is not failure. Tired is a signal. Like fever signals infection, tiredness signals you need rest, talk, help.
This Deepavali, we will light lamps outside. Let us also light lamps inside our children's minds. Do not ask your child, "What marks did you get?" but instead, ask "How did you feel today?"
Because a nation that produces straight As students but loses them to depression has not succeeded. It has failed.
P Kamalanathan is a former deputy education minister and an adjunct professor of Unitar International University.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.