logo
Forum: Students' socio-emotional competencies and resilience developed from a young age

Forum: Students' socio-emotional competencies and resilience developed from a young age

Straits Timesa day ago
We agree with Ms Teresa G. Hogan that it is important to equip our students with knowledge and skills to support their mental well-being from a young age (Teach children to process and manage emotions, June 26).
Schools are committed to developing our students holistically, including strengthening their resilience and socio-emotional competencies. To this end, the Ministry of Education has introduced mental health education lessons under the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum for all primary to pre-university students.
In these lessons, students learn about healthy mindsets, habits and skills to manage their emotions, and strengthen their mental well-being and resilience in the face of challenges.
For instance, from Primary 1, pupils learn about emotions and ways to regulate them.
As they progress to secondary school, students build on their existing coping skills and learn additional strategies to overcome unhealthy expectations. They are also taught to recognise signs of distress and seek help when needed.
Such skills are reinforced beyond the classroom through authentic learning opportunities such as co-curricular activities, learning journeys, and outdoor adventure learning camps, which also contribute to students' overall development.
We recognise the challenges that parents face, and will continue to support them in building strong parent-child relationships.
Parents can also access the Parenting for Wellness website, which offers practical tips and resources on supporting their child's mental and emotional health.
Loh Wee Cheng
Divisional Director, Student Development Curriculum Division 1
Ministry of Education
More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Number of atomic bomb survivors falls below 100,000 for first time
Number of atomic bomb survivors falls below 100,000 for first time

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Number of atomic bomb survivors falls below 100,000 for first time

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Visitors stopping to look at the Atomic Bomb Dome in the centre of Hiroshima in June 28. TOKYO - The total number of officially recognised Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors has fallen below 100,000 for the first time since the certification system began in fiscal 1957, government data showed July 1. The number of survivors holding a health book, which entitles the holder to free lifetime medical care, stood at 99,130 as at the end of March, down 7,695 from the previous year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Their average age rose 0.55 years to 86.13. As the 80th anniversary of 1945 US atomic bombings and the end of World War II approach, questions are being raised about how best to support aging survivors and pass on their stories. According to the ministry, Hiroshima Prefecture had the highest number of health book holders at 48,310, followed by Nagasaki at 23,543 and Fukuoka at 3,957. There were around 200,000 health book holders in fiscal 1957, with the number peaking at over 372,000 in fiscal 1980 before beginning a steady decline. The number of holders fell below 300,000 in fiscal 1999, and 200,000 in fiscal 2013. Individuals are recognised as 'hibakusha,' or survivors of the atomic bombings, if they were within designated areas or in utero at the time of the attacks, entered either of the two cities within two weeks of the attacks, or were exposed to radiation under conditions likely to affect their health. While hibakusha are entitled to receive medical care and may receive allowances depending on their illnesses, there are some individuals who decide not to apply for the health book despite qualifying for fear of discrimination. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US Senate approves divisive Trump spending Bill World Trump escalates feud with Musk, threatens Tesla and SpaceX support Business Cathay Cineplexes gets demand for $3.4 million in arrears from Jem landlord Singapore 3,800 private candidates in Singapore to take O- and A-level exams in 2025 Business Binance to keep hundreds of staff in Singapore despite crackdown, sources say Sport FAS introduces 'enhancements' to SPL, with increase in prize money and foreign player quota Multimedia Right on track: Meet the new JB-Singapore RTS Link train World Trump urges Hamas to accept 'final proposal' for 60-day Gaza ceasefire In 2021, the Hiroshima High Court ruled that people exposed to radioactive 'black rain' outside the government-recognised area were eligible to receive health care benefits. The government updated their recognition criteria in 2022 as a result. KYODO NEWS

NUS Medicine hopes to help Singaporeans age more healthily
NUS Medicine hopes to help Singaporeans age more healthily

Straits Times

time9 hours ago

  • Straits Times

NUS Medicine hopes to help Singaporeans age more healthily

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has come far in 120 years. The Straits Times takes a look at some of its achievements and where it is headed. SINGAPORE - Eternal youth might be a pipe dream, but having healthier bodies as one ages is a reality that the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme hopes to make possible for people. Its mission is to add healthy years of life by delaying ageing, as well as having people stay free of disease for as long as possible, so they are able to lead physically adept and socially active lives. It is an ambitious project involving about 45 NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine faculty members. They are leading or participating in many associated projects that look at different aspects of ageing, with the aim of slowing its progression. The programme, headed by Distinguished Professor Brian Kennedy, who was trained in biochemistry, mathematics and biology, was launched in 2022. Prof Kennedy said they hope to accomplish this goal 'through developing biomarkers to measure ageing, testing interventions to slow ageing, and creating implementation strategies to extend healthy life expectancy in Singapore'. The programme has developed an algorithm to calculate people's biological clock, which could be different from their years of life and indicates their mortality risk. Prof Kennedy said Singaporean Chinese, in general, have a biological age that is three to four years younger than their chronological age. But while Singaporeans today have a life expectancy of 83.5 years, they will spend an average of 10 years in relatively poor health. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seniors can claim $800 SG60 vouchers from July 1; adults to get $600 in vouchers from July 22 Singapore NSman, 30, dies in hospital after collapsing outside Maju Camp Asia Thai PM's suspension could spell end of Shinawatra clan's era of political dominance Singapore Judge rejects woman's claim that she owns 99% of Bukit Timah condo mostly paid for by ex-boyfriend Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 Singapore Trial opens for 3 women who allegedly organised procession outside Istana Business Do not overcommit to a single solution in a multi-polar world, says ex-foreign minister George Yeo Singapore 1MDB saga: Standard Chartered Bank disputes $3.4 billion claim by liquidators in Singapore Prof Kennedy said: 'Ageing impacts every aspect of how you function. It's the biggest risk factor for everything that goes wrong. So if we understand that, we can understand why people are getting sick and what to do about it better.' The team pursues a two-pronged approach. One is the effect of lifestyle, which means understanding the role of exercise, mental health, sleep and nutrition in ageing. The other focuses on the small molecules that impact ageing. Prof Kennedy said: 'We test supplements and repurpose drugs that we would target for people while they're still healthy to keep them healthy, rather than waiting until they get a diagnosis of some disease (before) trying to treat them at that stage.' Keeping its population healthy and active as it matures is what will make Singapore economically strong and give its citizens the best quality of life, he added. But while there are many products on the market that claim to keep people healthier for longer, there is also a lack of unbiased science around these products for people to know what truly is useful. 'We're trying to provide that credibility,' said Prof Kennedy. Many of the supplements his team tests are commercially available. 'These are not drugs that need 10 years to be developed. There are things that consumers can already purchase.' The Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme headed by Distinguished Professor Brian Kennedy was launched in 2022. PHOTO: NUS One supplement the team has studied that he is confident of pushing is alpha ketoglutarate (AKG), a compound made by the body that is involved in hundreds of different cell reactions. As people age, their levels of AKG drop. He said AKG acts as a kind of lubricant that allows enzymes to do what they need to do at the right time. 'But when the levels drop, the cell has trouble compensating for changes in its environment. We're trying to restore that, as in a way, that slows ageing and promotes health,' he explained. The team is also looking at the possibility of repurposing several drugs that have shown anti-ageing effects. Studies are still being done on these prescription-only drugs. Prof Kennedy added that there is no one magic bullet, but many different things which, together, can slow the ageing process. 'Small, sustainable changes make differences. Maybe it only gives you two to five years of extra health, but that's still a big effect.' One study involved deep phenotyping – determining and predicting the similarities and differences in how people age biologically and how the impact of the environment affects a person's health – of 400 people across ethnicities here. It measured the participants' biological age, physical function, body composition of fat, muscle and bone, and their grip strength. They were also given cognitive tests. 'We're trying to understand how Singaporeans are ageing, and what's unique in the Singapore population that may need to be addressed,' Prof Kennedy said. The study has been completed and is awaiting publication. Asians lose more bone density with age, compared with Caucasians. Prof Kennedy said that in the West, obesity and diabetes are driving age-related complications. Among Asians, the bigger issue is loss of muscle strength and frailty.

NUS team taps digital medicine to make treatments more precise for patients
NUS team taps digital medicine to make treatments more precise for patients

Straits Times

time9 hours ago

  • Straits Times

NUS team taps digital medicine to make treatments more precise for patients

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has come far in 120 years. The Straits Times takes a look at some of its achievements and where it is headed. Professor Dean Ho and his team are developing ways to take the guesswork out of medication, and to optimise drug doses and combinations for each person. SINGAPORE - Drugs not only work differently on different people, but they could also have different effects on the same person at different times of their lives. Professor Dean Ho heads biomedical engineering at the National University of Singapore and is director of the Institute for Digital Medicine at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. He and his team are developing ways to take the guesswork out of medication, and to optimise drug doses and combinations for each person. For instance, said Prof Ho, it is common for doctors to give cancer patients a two-drug combination as the standard dose. Though adequate, the treatment would be even more effective if there was a way to 'modulate the dose a little bit to study the interplay of the two within the patient'. In a clinical trial that he is conducting on his algorithm, called a small piece of a tumour is used to find the best dose for a particular patient. It is tested against up to a dozen drugs, providing about 900 different combinations to find which works best. His team then recommends the dose to the doctor, who will decide what to give the patient. Sometimes, the optimum dose for a patient might be lower than the standard dose, and it could change as treatment progresses. In Singapore , a lower dose could result in significant savings for the patient, who also benefits from the lower toxicity. Prof Ho, who moved to Singapore from the United States in 2018, is known for his work in the use of artificial intelligence in precision and personalised medicine, among other things. In 2023, he was invited by the US Food and Drug Administration to speak on defining and optimising drug dosages using AI. His work at NUS and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he started on it, has led to a spin-off company called KYAN Technologies. In March 2025, KYAN and Mayo Clinic Laboratories (MCL), a subsidiary of Mayo Clinic and a global leader in diagnostics , especially those related to cancers, formed a collaboration to test MCL's president and chief executive, Dr William Morice, said: 'This collaboration with KYAN Technologies provides another avenue for physicians to have access to the most robust and reliable diagnostic options available, empowering them to make informed decisions for better health outcomes and deliver customised treatment plans for their patients.' Digital medicine is important not only for cancer. Said Prof Ho: 'Digital medicine is our ability to leverage tools that we have, whether it's through wearables or through making better sense of our biomarkers and how they change over time, so we are able to better manage care, to better dose medicines, exercise, and even train our brains.' He is a strong proponent of wearable technology, which tracks people's exercise, sleep, stress levels and other patterns. He said people are more likely to make changes if they are aware of what is happening in their own bodies. His trials have also included cognitive training carried out on about 300 to 400 people: 'We developed this multitasking game, and we've helped healthy people sharpen their brain performance even more.' Another area Prof Ho plans to pursue is diabetes prevention, to give people tools 'to pre-emptively and behaviourally change, to strengthen insulin sensitivity, not lose it over time'. The American is an ardent supporter of Singapore, and he said he is never leaving because 'if you want to move your treatments from bench to bedside, from idea to implementation, Singapore is the place to be in'. 'It's not the technology alone. You need leadership at a university that really supports what you do. You need accessible stakeholders, policymakers, regulators, reimbursement people, implementation scientists. Singapore, in my opinion, is the only place in the world where you can have that access at a timescale that lets you help people quickly and safely.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store