South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases-2014-Kareem-101-7
Content
Case
Exploring Management
Interventions in a Higher
Education Institution for
the Improvement of Student
Well-being1
South Asian Journal of
Business and Management Cases
3(1) 101–107
© 2014 Birla Institute of Management Technology
SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/2277977914525290
http://bmc.sagepub.com
Omar Abdull Kareem
Khuan Wai Bing
Abstract
Higher education institutions worldwide are competing for students by providing unique learning and
well-being services to students. However, campus services often cannot cope with increasing demand
for counselling or other forms of well-being treatment with the increased number of students in their
campuses. The case will explore the university management’s interventions towards a student who
attempted suicide due to depression. Ways of identifying and monitoring students who may be at risk
of depression, suicide, self-injury or injuring others, will be focused. This case further offers crucial
points for providing awareness and the management of student well-being in university campuses.
Keywords
Management intervention, self-injury, well-being, management of student affairs, education
Introduction
‘In the university, studying hard is a way of life. Fatima, please take care of yourself. If you have any problems,
please talk to someone. Share with your friends. Find many friends. Don’t just keep quiet.’
Those were the words I told Fatima the day before it happened. I’m shocked. Why did this happen? Why did
she take the easy way out by killing herself? Why?
Anita, 11 April 2012.
The quote above was written by Anita in her counselling log. The Student Affairs Department in
formed Anita that a female student had committed suicide and asked her to inform the student’s parents
The student, Fatima Ahmad’s body was found at 5.30 PM, sprawled at the foot of the new four-storey
This case has been written solely for class discussion, for educational and development purposes and is not
intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation or to represent successful
or unsuccessful managerial decision making or endorse the management views. The authors may have disguised
or camouflaged some of the names, events, financial and other recognizable information to protect the identity of
individuals and confidentiality. The case
is developed from field survey and personal experiences.
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
102
Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
building. She had died of serious head injuries and broken legs. Many students attending classes on
Saturday had left after attending the last class. However, an eyewitness saw her fall from the top floor of
the building. Police had ruled out foul play. With a heavy heart, Anita picked up the phone to inform
Fatima’s parents. Her mind was thinking about the other troubled students? What intervention should she
do? What intervention can her department do?
The University College
After reviewing the institution’s latest report on the findings of Fatima’s investigation, Anita, the
University College Student Affairs Officer had a growing sense of discomfort about the status of
well-being of students in the campus. On one hand, The University College is known as one of the thriv
ing colleges in the state, with an enrolment success of 15,000 students; on the other hand, Anita was
concerned about the growing number of students receiving less attention, care and counselling. The
undivided focus on student academic achievement may contribute to a student’s imbalance in life. She
feared that this suicide news would have an adverse impact on the University College ranking and com
petitiveness of being one of the top universities in the country, an ongoing effort was not yet achieved.
Anita recognized that the institution’s distinctive specialization area was a major attraction for students
to select this institution. She also knew that future graduates need to be mentally healthy to perform their
duty and responsibility.
The University College originated from a college and was upgraded as University College more than
10 years ago. Throughout its history, the University College had been recognized as an institution that
advanced new ideas in the specialized fields. It has 10 faculties.
The University College also offered programmes to foreign students interested in specialization. In
2012, undergraduate enrolment was about 14,500 students. There were more women than men attending
the programmes in this university. About 850 faculty and 1,100 administrative, technical and support
staff were employed by the University. As the campus continues to expand in numbers of students
and staff, the numbers of infrastructure also continue to expand. The latest addition of buildings was the
four-storey building that was officiated on 10 January 2012. Being newly completed, it has 20 lecture
rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor. On the 4th floor, the building has a large conference room. On the 1st
floor, it houses the Information and Communication Technology department. On Saturday, classes were
held from 8 AM to 11 AM; 11 AM to 2 PM; and 2 PM to 5 PM.
The duration of the courses varies from one and a half years (three semesters) for post graduate
diploma to four years (eight semesters) for a degree programme. The University’s academic programme
encouraged regular interaction between teachers and students. It endorses a low 16 to one student/faculty
ratio. The University College Vice Chancellor described the institution’s unique approach to learning as:
Our mission is to provide the best education in the country. We emphasize a liberal and multi-disciplinary
education. Students are equipped with a broad knowledge encompassing global issues, including science, ethics,
culture, language, and humanities and in-depth studies in specialised fields. This approach will enable students
to be open-minded and look at national issues.
During the freshman year, students are assigned to an academic advisor who works with the student
to understand what the student needs to know and the most suitable way to complete his or her studies.
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
Exploring Management Interventions in a Higher Education Institution 103
The faculty practises personalized and ‘Open door’ educational approaches where students can obtain
appropriate feedback and guidance on planning their academic learning.
The University College’s intensive education required long days. Lecture hours begin at 8.00 AM
and end at 7.00 PM. Lectures for a three credit course are divided into 2 + 1 (2 hours and one hour)
in a week. Academic requirements for students included attending at least 15 credit hours of courses
a semester. However, many students choose to attend a maximum of 21 credit hours to have more free
time in the final semester to complete their project thesis work. This structure placed great importance
on student interaction where for every course, students are required to do presentations, and be involved
in group discussions to develop their communication, teamwork, critical thinking, leadership and
other skills.
Teaching in Universities is deeply enmeshed in interpersonal skills emphasis, but how might academic
programmes be enriched further by the inclusion of theories of emotions? Beginning teachers are not provided
with the theoretical tools to deconstruct the emotion-saturated environment that shapes their work and which
they shape with each emotional performance (Wallace, 2010),
observed Professor Ali, head of the Student Affairs Department.
Student Affairs Department
Over the years, the university administrators faced multiple changes mandated by the government.
Student Affairs Department is set up in every university to oversee the problems and welfare of students.
This department offers services such as psychological assessments, individual and group counselling,
self-development workshops, career planning, sports and co-curricular activities, training and leadership
and e-counselling services. There were also character-building activities for students and to encourage
student involvement in healthy activities such as entrepreneurial efforts within and outside the campus.
With the amended universities and University College Act, students were also awarded more freedom to
speech, being critical, channelled through prudent and civilized manner and students 18 years and above
are able to join political parties.
Anita was the head of the student counselling unit. Besides counselling students who walk in
voluntarily or referred by faculty, she also organizes group counselling for various high-risk groups. In
a meeting with the Professor Zainal, deputy vice chancellor, Student Affairs, Anita remarked, ‘We have
already organized workshops for groups such as recently divorced students, self-esteem, coping skills,
drug or other substance related, nutrition, sexual health programmes aimed to improve aspects of mental
health and well-being of the students. The programmes are aimed at students who are already manifest
ing signs of mental health and some are aimed at increased risk of mental health’. However, Professor
Zainal argued that the efforts need to be increased.
There is a lack of early intervention programmes aimed to improve and promote mental health outcomes to the
whole population (Universal programme) (Well, Barlow & Stewart-Brown, 2003), including shaping of more
positive attitudes to mental health (Wyn, Cahill, Holdsworth, Rowling & Carson, 2000). In the training for
staff and students—where do emotions fit in such coping and preventive leadership preparation programmes?
(Schmidt, 2010).
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
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104
Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
He felt interventions should not be confined to just Student Affairs Department’s role. Intervention
should start in class and aim to deliver a specific curriculum to the students and school should change the
ethos and culture.
Anita recalled reading about the rising rate of depression. A prediction by World Health Organization
stipulated by the year 2020, depression will have risen to become the second greatest cause of human
suffering and disability (Yapko, 2009). ‘What are the guiding principles of health promotion (Rothwell
et al., 2010) What are the key challenges in the short-term and long-term nature of health promotion?’
asked Anita.
Report on Fatima’s Case
Fatima came from a family of five siblings. Her parents are farmers who had high expectations from
her as she is the eldest in the family. She was a shy, quiet and introverted person who loved to read books.
A shy and an introvert person often turns inward and withdraws from socializing as it causes anxiety
(Cain, 2012). She did not ‘mix’ well and interact with her classmates. Coming from the rural area,
Fatima’s poor command on English language became a hindrance to her performing well in the examina
tion of a few papers. At the end of the semester, although she had worked hard, her accumulative point
was not higher than 2.5. She was one of the top students consistently but now things had changed with
her being one of the students at the bottom of class ranking. Her self-esteem plummeted more after the
first semester.
By June 2012, Fatima would have completed her studies in the final semester of her four year degree
course. At 23 years she was studying for a degree majoring in early childhood. She was in the faculty of
education. ‘Fatima didn’t want to become a teacher. Her parents had high expectations from and wanted
her to become a teacher in her hometown. She was interested in Art. But her father convinced her as a
woman who will marry later in life will be able to take care of her children better if she were a teacher’,
described her close friend, Mina. There are cases where students choose a discipline not because they
were interested, but it was their parents’ choice. Most parents often force their children to opt for profes
sional education without considering the reality and capabilities of their children (Doble & Supriya,
2011).
She started missing classes after the 2nd week of lecture and could barely scrape through her result.
Her less competitive result rendered her inability to obtain a scholarship.
‘Fatima gave me a letter requesting to be excused as she wanted to go back to her hometown to
see a traditional healer’, recalled her course lecturer and academic advisor, Dr Siah who teaches
puppet making. ‘I suggested to her she should see a counsellor to talk about her problem. There are four
counsellors in the University but she didn’t want to go. She said other students will label her as ‘Crazy’.
It is a stigma to be called Crazy.’
He further described in class, it was scary to look at her. She would sit upright, uptight, her body rigid
and her eyes staring into space. Other students would be laughing and enjoying with the puppets they had
created but she had no response. Other times she would start crying suddenly. It is not surprising that
many choose not to be assessed or ascertained about their mental health status due to stigma (Hoque,
Rossen & Tse, 2011).
She told the counsellor that she often heard voices. Her friends said she looked sad, was often heard
talking to herself, at times crying and suddenly laughing loudly. Sometimes she chose to sit in a dark
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
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Exploring Management Interventions in a Higher Education Institution 105
room and contorted her body without moving and without switching on the lights. She had stayed in a
house with 11 other girls in a housing area, 4 kilometres from the campus.
As the house rentals are expensive for students, we have to cramp into a four bedroom unfurnished house with
three people in one room. With financial constraints, we have to make do with mattresses on the floor in the room
while we study in the hall or at the campus library. We choose to stay outside campus to have more freedom and
we can do our cooking to reduce expenditure,
recalled Siti who was Fatima’s room-mate.
‘She doesn’t open up to housemates. She often has anxiety. She worried she would not get a job and
would then join the crowd of jobless graduates. She heard she would not be given posting to a school and
there are many unemployed graduates and the number is rising. She would rather share her problems
with her friend, Kak Hani on Facebook’, mentioned Siti. Social networking sites have in recent years
become an increasingly popular avenue for young people to express and to share their thoughts, views
and emotions (Goh & Huang, 2009).
She once went to see the campus doctor and told her about the incessant voices she keeps hearing but
she was given ‘ear medicine’ to reduce the ‘voices’. She wrote to Kak Hani on Facebook that she was
frustrated and disappointed and decided she would see the traditional healer over the weekend. She also
asked Kak Hani for forgiveness and sent her some photographs she had taken with both of them together.
When Anita was told that Fatima had missed her appointment and had gone back to her home town for
traditional treatment, she thought when Fatima came back; she ought to engage an ustazah, a religious
teacher to pray with her. Many using mental health services increasingly state they wish to have the
spiritual dimension of their lives attended to by professionals (Gilbert & Parkes, 2011).
Conclusion
Higher education institutions worldwide are under tremendous pressure to compete for students and to
capture a share of the education market. With multiple study options available to students locally and
internationally including virtual education, higher education institutions incessantly try to improve,
renew, rebrand and provide unique learning and well-being experiences to students. However, campus
services often cannot cope with increasing demand for counselling or other forms of well-being
treatment with the large number of students in their campuses. Given the importance of student wellbeing, this case presented a situation where a student was depressed and committed suicide due to her
inability to cope with student life. From a management’s perspective, student self-injury behaviours are
serious problems and need to be prevented as they can affect an organization’s performance and reputa
tion. The issue of mental health and well-being is difficult to be handled, as there are many possible
factors that contribute to it. However, if the management and staff have the knowledge and skill to
observe and recognize the symptoms and behaviours of students at risk, strategies can be formulated
to prevent the occurrence of injury to oneself and to others. The challenge lies in having a better under
standing and attitude towards students and other people with mental or behaviour problems. More
importantly, education providers should also consider fostering a supportive campus environment by
strengthening students’ resilience and coping ability through early intervention, preventive measures and
other help-system.
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
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Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
Questions for Discussion
1. What factors contribute to student suicides?
2. What, if anything, should the teacher have done differently when she observed Fatima’s strange
behaviour?
3. What are other types of self-injury or suicidal behaviour? How would students be assisted to learn
more about mental health and help-seeking strategies?
4. What should be the roles of the following individuals and groups in preventing and dealing
constructively with students with self-injury or suicidal behaviour? What should it (Student
Affairs Department; the Student Body; parents) do when they encounter students with self-injury
or suicidal behaviour?
5. Evaluate the management’s approach to Fatima. To what degree are the current practices for
preventing and dealing with student self-injury or suicidal behaviour effective? What else can
the educational institution do to improve the situation?
Acknowledgements
The authors of this case express their sincere thanks to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs) of the University
College, for information, support and facilities for conducting this research project. The authors also wish to thank
the management for permission to publish the case.
Note
1. The authors have written this case as revised and updated version of their case titled ‘Management Intervention
on Injury Behaviour of Students’ presented at the International Conference on Management Cases, ICMC 2013
held on 5–6 December 2013 at the BIMTECH Campus, Greater Noida, India.
References
Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. London: Viking.
Doble, N. & Supriya, M.V. (2011). Student life balance: Myth or reality? International Journal of Educational
Management, 25(3), 237–251.
Gilbert, P. & Parkes, M. (2011). Faith in one city: Exploring religion, spirituality and mental wellbeing in urban UK.
Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, 4(1), 16–27.
Goh, Tiong-Thye & Huang, Yen-Pei (2009). Monitoring youth depression risk in web 2.0. VINE, 39(3), 192–202.
Hoque, M.E., Rossen, F. & Tse, S. (2011). Stakeholder’s perspective: Injury behaviour and attitude of young Asians
in New Zealand. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 7(2), 106–115.
Ministry of Education (2012). Education in Malaysia: A journey to excellence. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Ministry of
Education.
Rothwell, H., Shepherd, M., Murphy, S., Burgess, S., Townsend, N. & Pimm, C. (2010). Implementing a socialecological model of health in Wales. Health Education, 110(6), 471–489.
Schmidt, M.J. (2010). Is there a place for emotions within leadership preparation programmes? Journal of
Educational Administration, 48(5), 626–641.
Wallace, J. (2010). Facing reality: Including the emotional in school leadership programmes. Journal of Educational
Administration, 48(5), 595–610.
Well, J., Barlow, J. & Stewart-Brown, S. (2003). A systematic review of universal approaches to mental health
promotion in schools. Health Education, 103(4), 197–220.
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
Exploring Management Interventions in a Higher Education Institution 107
Wyn, J., Cahill, H., Holdsworth, R., Rowling, L. & Carson, S. (2000). Mind Matters, a whole school approach
promoting mental health and wellbeing. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 34(1), 594–601.
Yapko, M.D. (2009). Depression is contagious: How the most common mood disorder is spreading around the world
and how to stop it. New York: Free Press.
Omar Abdull Kareem is a Professor of Educational Management in the Faculty of Management
and Economics, Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia. He has conducted workshops on Education
and Human Resource Management for international and domestic participants.
[E-mail: [email protected]]
Khuan Wai Bing is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Sultan Idris
Education University. With more than 24 years of teaching experience, she is the trainer for numerous
international and local training programmes including Educational Leadership and Management,
Qualitative Research, Corporate Social Responsibility, Training Strategies and others.
[E-mail: [email protected]]
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
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Exploring Management
Interventions in a Higher
Education Institution for
the Improvement of Student
Well-being1
South Asian Journal of
Business and Management Cases
3(1) 101–107
© 2014 Birla Institute of Management Technology
SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/2277977914525290
http://bmc.sagepub.com
Omar Abdull Kareem
Khuan Wai Bing
Abstract
Higher education institutions worldwide are competing for students by providing unique learning and
well-being services to students. However, campus services often cannot cope with increasing demand
for counselling or other forms of well-being treatment with the increased number of students in their
campuses. The case will explore the university management’s interventions towards a student who
attempted suicide due to depression. Ways of identifying and monitoring students who may be at risk
of depression, suicide, self-injury or injuring others, will be focused. This case further offers crucial
points for providing awareness and the management of student well-being in university campuses.
Keywords
Management intervention, self-injury, well-being, management of student affairs, education
Introduction
‘In the university, studying hard is a way of life. Fatima, please take care of yourself. If you have any problems,
please talk to someone. Share with your friends. Find many friends. Don’t just keep quiet.’
Those were the words I told Fatima the day before it happened. I’m shocked. Why did this happen? Why did
she take the easy way out by killing herself? Why?
Anita, 11 April 2012.
The quote above was written by Anita in her counselling log. The Student Affairs Department in
formed Anita that a female student had committed suicide and asked her to inform the student’s parents
The student, Fatima Ahmad’s body was found at 5.30 PM, sprawled at the foot of the new four-storey
This case has been written solely for class discussion, for educational and development purposes and is not
intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation or to represent successful
or unsuccessful managerial decision making or endorse the management views. The authors may have disguised
or camouflaged some of the names, events, financial and other recognizable information to protect the identity of
individuals and confidentiality. The case
is developed from field survey and personal experiences.
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
102
Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
building. She had died of serious head injuries and broken legs. Many students attending classes on
Saturday had left after attending the last class. However, an eyewitness saw her fall from the top floor of
the building. Police had ruled out foul play. With a heavy heart, Anita picked up the phone to inform
Fatima’s parents. Her mind was thinking about the other troubled students? What intervention should she
do? What intervention can her department do?
The University College
After reviewing the institution’s latest report on the findings of Fatima’s investigation, Anita, the
University College Student Affairs Officer had a growing sense of discomfort about the status of
well-being of students in the campus. On one hand, The University College is known as one of the thriv
ing colleges in the state, with an enrolment success of 15,000 students; on the other hand, Anita was
concerned about the growing number of students receiving less attention, care and counselling. The
undivided focus on student academic achievement may contribute to a student’s imbalance in life. She
feared that this suicide news would have an adverse impact on the University College ranking and com
petitiveness of being one of the top universities in the country, an ongoing effort was not yet achieved.
Anita recognized that the institution’s distinctive specialization area was a major attraction for students
to select this institution. She also knew that future graduates need to be mentally healthy to perform their
duty and responsibility.
The University College originated from a college and was upgraded as University College more than
10 years ago. Throughout its history, the University College had been recognized as an institution that
advanced new ideas in the specialized fields. It has 10 faculties.
The University College also offered programmes to foreign students interested in specialization. In
2012, undergraduate enrolment was about 14,500 students. There were more women than men attending
the programmes in this university. About 850 faculty and 1,100 administrative, technical and support
staff were employed by the University. As the campus continues to expand in numbers of students
and staff, the numbers of infrastructure also continue to expand. The latest addition of buildings was the
four-storey building that was officiated on 10 January 2012. Being newly completed, it has 20 lecture
rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floor. On the 4th floor, the building has a large conference room. On the 1st
floor, it houses the Information and Communication Technology department. On Saturday, classes were
held from 8 AM to 11 AM; 11 AM to 2 PM; and 2 PM to 5 PM.
The duration of the courses varies from one and a half years (three semesters) for post graduate
diploma to four years (eight semesters) for a degree programme. The University’s academic programme
encouraged regular interaction between teachers and students. It endorses a low 16 to one student/faculty
ratio. The University College Vice Chancellor described the institution’s unique approach to learning as:
Our mission is to provide the best education in the country. We emphasize a liberal and multi-disciplinary
education. Students are equipped with a broad knowledge encompassing global issues, including science, ethics,
culture, language, and humanities and in-depth studies in specialised fields. This approach will enable students
to be open-minded and look at national issues.
During the freshman year, students are assigned to an academic advisor who works with the student
to understand what the student needs to know and the most suitable way to complete his or her studies.
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
Exploring Management Interventions in a Higher Education Institution 103
The faculty practises personalized and ‘Open door’ educational approaches where students can obtain
appropriate feedback and guidance on planning their academic learning.
The University College’s intensive education required long days. Lecture hours begin at 8.00 AM
and end at 7.00 PM. Lectures for a three credit course are divided into 2 + 1 (2 hours and one hour)
in a week. Academic requirements for students included attending at least 15 credit hours of courses
a semester. However, many students choose to attend a maximum of 21 credit hours to have more free
time in the final semester to complete their project thesis work. This structure placed great importance
on student interaction where for every course, students are required to do presentations, and be involved
in group discussions to develop their communication, teamwork, critical thinking, leadership and
other skills.
Teaching in Universities is deeply enmeshed in interpersonal skills emphasis, but how might academic
programmes be enriched further by the inclusion of theories of emotions? Beginning teachers are not provided
with the theoretical tools to deconstruct the emotion-saturated environment that shapes their work and which
they shape with each emotional performance (Wallace, 2010),
observed Professor Ali, head of the Student Affairs Department.
Student Affairs Department
Over the years, the university administrators faced multiple changes mandated by the government.
Student Affairs Department is set up in every university to oversee the problems and welfare of students.
This department offers services such as psychological assessments, individual and group counselling,
self-development workshops, career planning, sports and co-curricular activities, training and leadership
and e-counselling services. There were also character-building activities for students and to encourage
student involvement in healthy activities such as entrepreneurial efforts within and outside the campus.
With the amended universities and University College Act, students were also awarded more freedom to
speech, being critical, channelled through prudent and civilized manner and students 18 years and above
are able to join political parties.
Anita was the head of the student counselling unit. Besides counselling students who walk in
voluntarily or referred by faculty, she also organizes group counselling for various high-risk groups. In
a meeting with the Professor Zainal, deputy vice chancellor, Student Affairs, Anita remarked, ‘We have
already organized workshops for groups such as recently divorced students, self-esteem, coping skills,
drug or other substance related, nutrition, sexual health programmes aimed to improve aspects of mental
health and well-being of the students. The programmes are aimed at students who are already manifest
ing signs of mental health and some are aimed at increased risk of mental health’. However, Professor
Zainal argued that the efforts need to be increased.
There is a lack of early intervention programmes aimed to improve and promote mental health outcomes to the
whole population (Universal programme) (Well, Barlow & Stewart-Brown, 2003), including shaping of more
positive attitudes to mental health (Wyn, Cahill, Holdsworth, Rowling & Carson, 2000). In the training for
staff and students—where do emotions fit in such coping and preventive leadership preparation programmes?
(Schmidt, 2010).
South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, 3, 1 (2014): 101–107
Downloaded from bmc.sagepub.com by guest on November 6, 2015
104
Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
He felt interventions should not be confined to just Student Affairs Department’s role. Intervention
should start in class and aim to deliver a specific curriculum to the students and school should change the
ethos and culture.
Anita recalled reading about the rising rate of depression. A prediction by World Health Organization
stipulated by the year 2020, depression will have risen to become the second greatest cause of human
suffering and disability (Yapko, 2009). ‘What are the guiding principles of health promotion (Rothwell
et al., 2010) What are the key challenges in the short-term and long-term nature of health promotion?’
asked Anita.
Report on Fatima’s Case
Fatima came from a family of five siblings. Her parents are farmers who had high expectations from
her as she is the eldest in the family. She was a shy, quiet and introverted person who loved to read books.
A shy and an introvert person often turns inward and withdraws from socializing as it causes anxiety
(Cain, 2012). She did not ‘mix’ well and interact with her classmates. Coming from the rural area,
Fatima’s poor command on English language became a hindrance to her performing well in the examina
tion of a few papers. At the end of the semester, although she had worked hard, her accumulative point
was not higher than 2.5. She was one of the top students consistently but now things had changed with
her being one of the students at the bottom of class ranking. Her self-esteem plummeted more after the
first semester.
By June 2012, Fatima would have completed her studies in the final semester of her four year degree
course. At 23 years she was studying for a degree majoring in early childhood. She was in the faculty of
education. ‘Fatima didn’t want to become a teacher. Her parents had high expectations from and wanted
her to become a teacher in her hometown. She was interested in Art. But her father convinced her as a
woman who will marry later in life will be able to take care of her children better if she were a teacher’,
described her close friend, Mina. There are cases where students choose a discipline not because they
were interested, but it was their parents’ choice. Most parents often force their children to opt for profes
sional education without considering the reality and capabilities of their children (Doble & Supriya,
2011).
She started missing classes after the 2nd week of lecture and could barely scrape through her result.
Her less competitive result rendered her inability to obtain a scholarship.
‘Fatima gave me a letter requesting to be excused as she wanted to go back to her hometown to
see a traditional healer’, recalled her course lecturer and academic advisor, Dr Siah who teaches
puppet making. ‘I suggested to her she should see a counsellor to talk about her problem. There are four
counsellors in the University but she didn’t want to go. She said other students will label her as ‘Crazy’.
It is a stigma to be called Crazy.’
He further described in class, it was scary to look at her. She would sit upright, uptight, her body rigid
and her eyes staring into space. Other students would be laughing and enjoying with the puppets they had
created but she had no response. Other times she would start crying suddenly. It is not surprising that
many choose not to be assessed or ascertained about their mental health status due to stigma (Hoque,
Rossen & Tse, 2011).
She told the counsellor that she often heard voices. Her friends said she looked sad, was often heard
talking to herself, at times crying and suddenly laughing loudly. Sometimes she chose to sit in a dark
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Exploring Management Interventions in a Higher Education Institution 105
room and contorted her body without moving and without switching on the lights. She had stayed in a
house with 11 other girls in a housing area, 4 kilometres from the campus.
As the house rentals are expensive for students, we have to cramp into a four bedroom unfurnished house with
three people in one room. With financial constraints, we have to make do with mattresses on the floor in the room
while we study in the hall or at the campus library. We choose to stay outside campus to have more freedom and
we can do our cooking to reduce expenditure,
recalled Siti who was Fatima’s room-mate.
‘She doesn’t open up to housemates. She often has anxiety. She worried she would not get a job and
would then join the crowd of jobless graduates. She heard she would not be given posting to a school and
there are many unemployed graduates and the number is rising. She would rather share her problems
with her friend, Kak Hani on Facebook’, mentioned Siti. Social networking sites have in recent years
become an increasingly popular avenue for young people to express and to share their thoughts, views
and emotions (Goh & Huang, 2009).
She once went to see the campus doctor and told her about the incessant voices she keeps hearing but
she was given ‘ear medicine’ to reduce the ‘voices’. She wrote to Kak Hani on Facebook that she was
frustrated and disappointed and decided she would see the traditional healer over the weekend. She also
asked Kak Hani for forgiveness and sent her some photographs she had taken with both of them together.
When Anita was told that Fatima had missed her appointment and had gone back to her home town for
traditional treatment, she thought when Fatima came back; she ought to engage an ustazah, a religious
teacher to pray with her. Many using mental health services increasingly state they wish to have the
spiritual dimension of their lives attended to by professionals (Gilbert & Parkes, 2011).
Conclusion
Higher education institutions worldwide are under tremendous pressure to compete for students and to
capture a share of the education market. With multiple study options available to students locally and
internationally including virtual education, higher education institutions incessantly try to improve,
renew, rebrand and provide unique learning and well-being experiences to students. However, campus
services often cannot cope with increasing demand for counselling or other forms of well-being
treatment with the large number of students in their campuses. Given the importance of student wellbeing, this case presented a situation where a student was depressed and committed suicide due to her
inability to cope with student life. From a management’s perspective, student self-injury behaviours are
serious problems and need to be prevented as they can affect an organization’s performance and reputa
tion. The issue of mental health and well-being is difficult to be handled, as there are many possible
factors that contribute to it. However, if the management and staff have the knowledge and skill to
observe and recognize the symptoms and behaviours of students at risk, strategies can be formulated
to prevent the occurrence of injury to oneself and to others. The challenge lies in having a better under
standing and attitude towards students and other people with mental or behaviour problems. More
importantly, education providers should also consider fostering a supportive campus environment by
strengthening students’ resilience and coping ability through early intervention, preventive measures and
other help-system.
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106
Omar Abdull Kareem and Khuan Wai Bing
Questions for Discussion
1. What factors contribute to student suicides?
2. What, if anything, should the teacher have done differently when she observed Fatima’s strange
behaviour?
3. What are other types of self-injury or suicidal behaviour? How would students be assisted to learn
more about mental health and help-seeking strategies?
4. What should be the roles of the following individuals and groups in preventing and dealing
constructively with students with self-injury or suicidal behaviour? What should it (Student
Affairs Department; the Student Body; parents) do when they encounter students with self-injury
or suicidal behaviour?
5. Evaluate the management’s approach to Fatima. To what degree are the current practices for
preventing and dealing with student self-injury or suicidal behaviour effective? What else can
the educational institution do to improve the situation?
Acknowledgements
The authors of this case express their sincere thanks to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Student Affairs) of the University
College, for information, support and facilities for conducting this research project. The authors also wish to thank
the management for permission to publish the case.
Note
1. The authors have written this case as revised and updated version of their case titled ‘Management Intervention
on Injury Behaviour of Students’ presented at the International Conference on Management Cases, ICMC 2013
held on 5–6 December 2013 at the BIMTECH Campus, Greater Noida, India.
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Omar Abdull Kareem is a Professor of Educational Management in the Faculty of Management
and Economics, Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia. He has conducted workshops on Education
and Human Resource Management for international and domestic participants.
[E-mail: [email protected]]
Khuan Wai Bing is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Economics, Sultan Idris
Education University. With more than 24 years of teaching experience, she is the trainer for numerous
international and local training programmes including Educational Leadership and Management,
Qualitative Research, Corporate Social Responsibility, Training Strategies and others.
[E-mail: [email protected]]
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