Manila, June 26 -- The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila launched a nationwide mental health literacy program that seeks to transform how colleges and universities support students, shifting the focus from crisis response to prevention and early intervention.

In a news release Friday, CHED said the initiative, known as "Sulong Institusyon sa Napapanahong Aksyon at Ginhawa" (Project SINAG) aims to train 724 campus leaders from 181 state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges to recognize mental health concerns, provide appropriate support, and establish referral systems within their institutions.

Each participating school will send a four-member team that will ...