We have an amazing education system that has turned out many brilliant students.

Unfortunately, we have neglected a large aspect of students' lives - mental health.

While the system instils great knowledge in students about what's in textbooks, it ignores the fact that mental health is more important than studies.

If we tell our students to stay at home and rest when they have the flu, why are we not emphasising that mental health can also affect their day-to-day lives?

We have an excellent system to keep our students excelling in their work, so why don't we use it to identify students in need and provide help?

We hold our schools accountable for students' ability to score well in examinations, but not for their mental well-being.

We do not have sufficient or efficient support structures to ensure students get the help they need for their mental well-being.

Our students may be doing well on paper, but they could be suffering silently.

We can do so much more for these students who are the future of our nation.

Sean Tan Xing Hao