Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government Teachers’ Union (KGKS) has called for a drastic increase in counselling officers at District Education Offices, warning that the current manpower is inadequate to provide timely welfare and mental health support to teachers.
KGKS President Murkam Hussien said each district currently has only one counselling officer, who also doubles as the entire support staff for the counselling unit.
“Right now, there is only one counselling officer who also doubles as the entire support staff for the counselling unit at each District Education Office.
“One person carrying the load for an entire district in terms of monitoring teacher welfare, responding to distress and managing crises across huge distances is unsustainable,” he said.
Murkam said Sabah’s geographical conditions, including remote communities, mountainous terrain and schools scattered across vast areas, made the situation more challenging compared with Peninsular Malaysia.
He warned that with such limited manpower, early intervention was nearly impossible, leaving struggling teachers without adequate support until their situations became critical.
His remarks followed the recent death of a teacher in Hulu Selangor, which he said had highlighted the urgent need to strengthen psychological and welfare support for educators.
The union is demanding that the Education Ministry increase the number of counselling officers in every district, provide dedicated support staff to reduce administrative workloads and establish a stronger psychological safety net for teachers.
“This tragedy should never have happened. It is a wake-up call,” Murkam said.
“If we had enough people on the ground, if workloads were manageable, if teachers actually felt supported – lives could be saved.”He stressed that the mental health and welfare of educators should be treated as an urgent priority.
“We cannot keep waiting for more tragedies before we act. The mental health of our educators is not a secondary concern – it is urgent, and it is critical.”Murkam also extended his condolences to the family of the deceased teacher, saying her loss was a tragedy felt by the entire teaching profession.
“We do not need more studies or promises. We need more people – on the ground, right now – before another life is lost,” he said.
