The Ministry of Education has issued a clarification on the status of its Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), confirming that employees are not required to pay any fees to access ministry-provided psychosocial support services.
In a statement issued on January 9th, 2025, the Ministry advised that it is actively addressing the provision of EAP services to ensure employees have access to effective, efficient, and sustainable psychosocial support.
The Ministry confirmed that funding for the EAP has been allocated from the Fiscal 2026 Budget. Importantly, no user fees have been introduced for Ministry-supported EAP counselling services, and employees are not required to pay any fee, including $450.00 per counselling session, to access Ministry-provided support.
The Education Ministry emphasized that any counselling services independently arranged by individuals outside of Ministry-approved mechanisms fall outside the scope of the EAP and should not be interpreted as a replacement for employer-supported services.