AdminTwelve schools from Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, and Terengganu have emerged winners of the grassroots MINDSHIFT Competition, an initiative by LeapEd Services and Yayasan Hasanah to tackle Malaysia’s growing children’s mental health crisis. A total of RM11,400 in prize money was awarded to recognise their innovative, data-driven interventions that improved student wellbeing.
Among the standout projects was SMK Kuala Jenderis in Terengganu, which clinched the top prize with its “Juggek D’Bamboo” initiative. By blending traditional bamboo music with natural healing spaces, the school created an environment where students could recharge emotionally and physically. The results were telling: awareness of the link between exercise and mental health leapt from 23% to 96%, while student happiness levels saw a 5% boost.
In Melaka, SK Air Baruk led with “Let’s Move It”, a student-led programme that turned morning assemblies and classroom sessions into lively dance and aerobic workouts. Within five months, student understanding of the connection between physical activity and mental health surged from 68.42% to 97.12%.
Meanwhile in Negeri Sembilan, SK Pelangai’s “Fun SPel” daily aerobics initiative tackled absenteeism head-on, raising attendance rates from 88% to 92%.
“These schools have demonstrated that whole school interventions improve well-being, strengthen national resilience, and ensure educational equity,” said Nina Adlan Disney, Managing Director of LeapEd Services. “MINDSHIFT is a scalable model of how transformational social impact can be catalysed—school by school, child by child.”
Addressing a national mental health emergency
The competition marked the culmination of the 15-month MINDSHIFT programme (April 2024 – July 2025), which involved 71 schools, trained 198 teachers, and impacted over 35,000 students. Through workshops, educators—ranging from school counsellors to senior assistants for student affairs—were equipped with skills to design context-specific interventions, boost mental health literacy, and strengthen child protection awareness.
The urgency of such programmes is underscored by the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023, which revealed alarming trends:
- 1 in 6 Malaysian children faces mental health challenges
- The prevalence of such issues has doubled since 2019
- 46% of students encounter peer-related problems, including bullying, social isolation, and withdrawal
Dr Nur Anuar Bin Abdul Muthalib, Education Senior Director at Yayasan Hasanah, highlighted the scale of the crisis. “With over 5.2 million students in our schools, if one in six are struggling, that means nearly one million Malaysian children are facing mental distress today,” he said.
“Addressing this crisis is not just a moral obligation—it is an economic, social, and national imperative. Untreated childhood mental health issues lead to lower lifetime earnings, higher unemployment rates, and widening inequality. Early intervention—particularly through schools—is essential to safeguarding our nation’s future,” he added.
Building resilience through early intervention
Initial results from MINDSHIFT are promising:
- Teacher awareness of holistic wellbeing rose by 80%
- 60% of teachers now co-develop wellbeing strategies with students
- 62% reported greater confidence in tailoring personalised interventions
- Students reported stronger connectedness to school, improved emotional literacy, and greater willingness to seek help
These findings reflect global evidence that early mental health interventions yield lifelong benefits. International research shows that untreated childhood mental disorders can reduce adult income by up to 33%, with women disproportionately affected. The World Health Organization projects the global cost of mental illness will surpass USD 6 trillion by 2030.
With LeapEd and Yayasan Hasanah at the helm, the MINDSHIFT model has demonstrated that schools can be powerful catalysts for change. The challenge now, experts say, is ensuring nationwide adoption before the crisis deepens.
CJMY
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