Arya News - Following the mandatory screening, teachers who have not achieved a psychological wellbeing level of at least `moderately high` will receive targeted intervention from registered counsellors based on their individual needs, according to Malaysia`s Education Ministry.
KUALA LUMPUR – All public school teachers will undergo psychological wellbeing profiling over the next five years, with those scoring below target levels slated for intervention by registered counsellors, the Education Ministry told Parliament.
In a written reply dated Wednesday (Oct 7), the ministry stated that the initial profiling cycle using the Psychological Wellbeing Inventory (IKPsi) will cover every teacher in the national education system.
“Teachers who have not achieved a psychological wellbeing level of at least ‘moderately high’ will receive targeted intervention from registered counsellors based on their individual needs,” the ministry said.
To support the initiative, 40 education counsellors and guidance teachers have received specialised mental health training to act as referral experts in crisis handling. The ministry has also established an online Psychological Wellbeing Hub while strengthening preventive approaches through screening, emotional health education, and literacy programs.
The response was issued to Datuk Wira Hajah Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), who asked about the effectiveness of the “Teacher Care” initiative and workload reduction measures in addressing extreme teacher burnout.
Addressing workload concerns, the ministry highlighted seven immediate measures introduced since 2023. These include abolishing non-impactful competitions and celebrations, limiting Teachers’ Day events to school and national levels, restricting school self-assessments to once annually, and streamlining attendance recording.
Additionally, non-ministry personnel can now serve as public exam invigilators, while daily lesson plan requirements have been standardised. To further reduce administrative tasks, the ministry abolished its standalone Training Management System and deployed 564 Teacher Assistants and 300 Warden Assistants under the MySTEP scheme.
The ministry also reported that 18,241 new teachers were placed in schools as of September this year, filling 98%of vacancies to help distribute teaching duties more evenly.
“The ministry will continue to monitor these initiatives to ensure these efforts yield lasting benefits rather than short-term relief,” the statement concluded.