Trends and Follow-up Actions from Schools' Quarterly Student Well-being Surveys

Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Education (a) what specific indicators comprise the suite of mental health indicators that the Ministry tracks across the school system; and (b) based on these indicators, whether the results of the quarterly student well-being surveys show that student well-being have improved, worsened or remained unchanged since the surveys began, at (i) primary (ii) secondary and (iii) pre-university levels respectively.

Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan asked the Minister for Education regarding students flagged as requiring support by the quarterly well-being surveys (a) what proportion of students were flagged in each of the past five years and at which school levels were these the highest; (b) whether schools are required to follow a standard follow-up protocol; and (c) who is accountable for these follow-ups.

I will answer these Oral Questions, and also Written Question No 46 on today's Order Paper together.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) introduced online check-in sessions in 2020 to better support student well-being across primary, secondary and pre-university levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, MOE has provided schools with age-appropriate resources comprising student check-in surveys and activities, conducted every school term. The survey responses enable teachers to better understand their students' well-being and to provide appropriate support. This could be in the form of a conversation with the Form Teacher or further intervention when more serious concerns are raised.

The survey questions are designed by MOE. A small number of questions are adapted from established instruments, but the survey is not a clinical diagnostic or screening tool. As the surveys cover a range of items, the proportion of students flagged through them should not be interpreted as overall well-being levels or prevalence of mental-health concerns. It is therefore also not a measure of whether student well-being has improved or worsened over time. School-level results are available to MOE and are considered alongside other indicators in informing MOE's support for schools.

At the system level, MOE monitors youth well-being trends through a range of indicators, including local research studies, such as the Youth Epidemiology and Resilience Study, and the Institute of Mental Health's National Mental Health and Well-being Survey.