The Civil Service Fee has but to approve the qualification requirements wanted for the Division of Schooling to have the ability to rent 10,000 college counselor associates in 2026
MANILA, Philippines – Lawmakers on Monday, June 29, known as out the Division of Schooling (DepEd) and the Civil Service Fee (CSC) for the delay within the hiring of faculty counselor associates who’re supposed to assist public faculties in offering psychological well being providers to college students.
The callout was made in a Home fundamental training committee listening to, following latest incidents of faculty violence, together with the deadly capturing in Tacloban Metropolis that left three college students lifeless and 20 others injured.
Pasig Metropolis Consultant Roman Romulo, the panel chairman, harassed that there are lower than 8,000 psychologists and registered steerage counselors within the nation.
He famous that this scarcity led to the passage of Republic Act No. 12080, or the Fundamental Schooling Psychological Well being and Effectively-Being Promotion Act, which requires the creation of the varsity counselor affiliate place. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed it in December 2024.
“2024 pa ‘yung batas na ‘yan. Asan na tayo ngayon? (The regulation was handed in 2024. The place are we now?)” Romulo requested.
“Underneath GAA (Common Appropriations Act) 2026, you got 10,000 objects to rent college counselor associates, and also you even have for registered steerage counselors. What’s taking place there?”
Round P2 billion was earmarked within the 2026 price range for the hiring of 10,000 college counselor associates.
Underneath the regulation, those that will be employed as college counselor associates are graduates who earned a bachelor’s diploma in steerage and counseling or psychology, or faculty graduates with at the very least 18 items in steerage and counseling, psychology, or behavioral science, and should have 200 hours of coaching. They may have wage grades 11 to fifteen.
Schooling Assistant Secretary Wilfredo Cabral admitted that the DepEd has not but employed college counselor associates for the reason that regulation was handed, however he defined that the bottleneck now lies with the CSC.
Cabral mentioned they already ready the job description and submitted the qualification requirements for the place for CSC approval in November 2025. By January 2026, the fee questioned the supply requiring 200 hours of coaching for college counselor associates, to which the DepEd replied that it was mandated by regulation.
“As of June 3 this yr, we have been knowledgeable that it’s already [with] the fee en banc for approval, and so we despatched one other follow-up letter…citing, amongst others, that the creation of [the position] is contingent on the approval,” he mentioned.
Romulo requested the CSC how quickly they may give the approval. “Hindi talaga maiiwasan, iisipin talaga ng taong-bayan [na] kaya biglang ginagalawan ninyo kasi nangyari na ‘yung Tacloban,” he added.
(It’ll be unavoidable for the general public to suppose that you simply’re solely taking motion now due to what occurred in Tacloban.)
Christian Daybreak Molina, appearing director of the CSC Human Useful resource Insurance policies and Requirements Workplace, solely mentioned the choice is “due for launch anytime quickly.”
“I can’t commit any particular timeline. I apologize, Mr. Chair, however undoubtedly the fee is conscious of the urgency,” Molina mentioned.
The Second Congressional Fee on Schooling beforehand flagged the scarcity of principals and steerage counselors in public faculties, which contributes to the worsening downside of bullying within the nation.
San Jose Nationwide Excessive Faculty in Tacloban Metropolis, the place two minors carried out the capturing on June 22, doesn’t have a registered steerage counselor. There are additionally solely three DepEd registered steerage counselors within the metropolis.
The DepEd in Tacloban Metropolis needed to depend on a community of pros from authorities companies, faith-based teams, and different nongovernment organizations to mount the preliminary response for therapeutic of the varsity group.
Faculty safety measures
Security and safety measures in faculties have been additionally tackled throughout Monday’s listening to.
Schooling Assistant Secretary Roger Masapol advised lawmakers that the DepEd plans to make bag inspection necessary in public faculties. However the company remains to be finding out tips on how to implement the coverage based mostly on the dimensions of the varsity inhabitants.
The DepEd may also search a much bigger price range and extra plantilla positions for safety guards in public faculties, Schooling Secretary Sonny Angara mentioned in an opportunity interview at Alfonso Castañeda Nationwide Excessive Faculty in Nueva Vizcaya.
Angara mentioned there was a discount within the variety of safety guards earlier than he grew to become the DepEd chief in July 2024.
“Ang iniwan na lang mga 200, eh kung titingnan natin 48,000 ang faculties natin. ‘Yung ibang faculties kailangan ng a couple of safety guard,” he mentioned.
(Solely 200 positions have been left, however we have now round 48,000 faculties. Some faculties want a couple of safety guard.)
The DepEd may also replace its emergency protocols to incorporate lively capturing situations and to arrange a reporting mechanism for capturing threats made on-line, in response to Masapol. – Rappler.com
