Singapore Campus: Counselors for Students with Problems
Thursday, 05 March, 2009 | 14:19 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Singapore: After the death of David Hartanto Widjaja, an Indonesian student, the campus in Singapore is trying to respond to students with problems earlier.

In order to prevent more violence and suicide cases like David’s, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, where David used to study, began to reactivate its counseling services for students with mental or emotional problems.

The counseling center will work together with the students’ health center and international student center. Professionals will be consigned at the counseling center.

The campus has also installed an alarm that will ring whenever violent action occurs at campus.

David was a last-year student at NTU's Electronic and Machine Technique Faculty. He killed himself after stabbing his lecturer last Monday. It is suspected that David was frustrated as his scholarship was canceled.

NTU also gives a security guarantee for professors and lecturers. “We will help professors and prepare spiritual sustenance for students,” said NTU's president, Su Guaning.

NTU will prioritize international students as they are usually tense during their first three months when they adapt to a new culture.

THE STRAITS TIMES/TODAY ONLINE/ASIAONE/Sunariah