Psychology major Janak Ashok Teckwani started the TimeToTalk project to encourage more online interaction and meaningful conversations. Photo: TimeToTalk
Psychology undergraduate from Taylor’s University Janak Ashok Teckwani, 22, felt that he and his friends were not getting enough interaction during the pandemic, so he started a platform called TimeToTalk where they could interact online.
“I felt that everyone needed a ‘distraction’ from all the negativity during the pandemic, and we weren’t getting the interaction we needed during the MCOs,” he says.
Session with national toastmasters champion Gurmeet Singh. Photo: TimeToTalk
Using Zoom as the platform, the project was aimed to encourage more online interactions and meaningful conversations during the pandemic.
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The mental health situation in the country is alarming. Three in 10 adults have some form of mental health problem and more than half a million Malaysians suffer from clinical depression, according to the Ministry of Health in 2019.
However, there have been few mental health studies done on the local population, says Associate Professor Dr Anasuya Jegathevi, director of Taylor’s University’s Centre for Human Excellence and Development (CHED). The university’s research team used to obtain mental health data from other countries as it did not have the right technology to collect the relevant data here.
“As researchers, we used to share data [with foreign institutions]. People may not realise that the data for some research is not easily transferred across continents, especially if the data is highly secured. Malaysians should not rely on imported tech [to advance research],” says Dr Anasuya.