51风流

TAR UMT Cordially Invites Educators and the Public to National Forum on Mental Health and Emotional Resilience in Schools

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 November 2025 — Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) will be organising a national academic forum titled “Mental Health and Emotional Resilience in Schools” on 22 November 2025 (Saturday) from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at the Auditorium, Bangunan Tun Tan Siew Sin, TAR UMT Kuala Lumpur Campus.

The forum forms part of TAR UMT’s ongoing efforts to advance evidence-based reforms under the Safe School 2.0 initiative and aims to unite educators, counsellors, NGO practitioners, parents, and members of the public in examining the increasingly complex psychological and emotional challenges faced by Malaysian students. In a period marked by rising incidents of school bullying, cyber harassment, deepfake misuse, emotional distress, and student vulnerability, the forum seeks to provide an academically rigorous platform for discourse, knowledge exchange, and policy consultation.

Conducted primarily in English Language with flexibility to include Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese Language to ensure inclusivity, the forum will feature six expert panellists representing key domains of educational psychology, youth mental health, clinical intervention, counselling education, school leadership, and community-based crisis support. The panel comprises Prof. Dr. Ananda Kumar Palaniappan, Dr. Nazrul Azizi, Pn. Imatul Bt Nor Hazizan, Ms. Chuah Hooi Mei, Pn. Tan Siew Choo, and Ms. Wong Su Zane, with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lim Chia Yien serving as moderator.

As the Lead Researcher of the Safe School 2.0 initiative and an Associate Professor at TAR UMT, Dato’ Dr. Monna Ong Siew Siew underscores that Malaysia is confronting not isolated incidents, but a systemic crisis affecting the psychological well-being of students across the nation. She emphasises that this requires a national shift toward reforms grounded in science, empathy, early detection, and preventive intervention.

“We are witnessing not isolated incidents, but a systemic crisis of psychological wellbeing in our school ecosystem. Safe School 2.0 is not about tightening discipline, but about strengthening humanity, empathy, and scientific prevention. Every child deserves not only physical protection, but emotional safety and dignity.”

The forum will address three interrelated policy themes: (1) strengthening school counselling systems and teacher capacity; (2) enhancing digital safety and cyber-wellness in response to emerging risks such as deepfake harms; (3) advancing governance frameworks and community partnerships that support psychological safety in schools. In addition to academic discourse, the session provides a timely opportunity for stakeholders to contribute insights into national-level reform. Serving as an open platform for the initiative, the forum will gather expert input and community perspectives ahead of TAR UMT’s final submission of the Safe School 2.0 proposal to the Ministry of Education.

The Safe School 2.0 framework is currently being developed through a multi-institutional collaboration involving researchers from TAR UMT, the University of Malaya (UM), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), as well as several private and Islamic universities.The proposal seeks to integrate psychological education, mental health support, restorative practices, early-risk detection, and data-driven monitoring into Malaysia’s school ecosystem, aligning with UNESCO and OECD standards on whole-school mental health governance. Through such collaborative, research-driven approaches, TAR UMT aims to contribute meaningfully to shaping safer, more supportive, and more resilient learning environments for Malaysian children.

TAR UMT warmly invites educators, school leaders, counsellors, youth organisations, parents, and all individuals committed to student welfare to attend this important forum. Participation is free of charge, and those interested may register through the QR code on the event poster, click , contact Joanne Tan +6012-901 5381 or Fong Yi +6019-275 9871. A forum like this function as a compass helping the nation navigate the changing landscape of student well-being by pointing us toward solutions grounded in science, compassion, and collective responsibility.