The Senate Committee on Basic Education is prepared to endorse the Department of Education’s (DepEd) request for a higher salary for guidance counselors in schools to ensure that the country’s youth have sufficient access to mental health programs, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said on Tuesday, January 31.
Gatchalian, chairman of the basic education panel, said the move would help address the lack of guidance counselors in public schools so more students can avail of immediate counseling in times of depression and other forms of mental and emotional distress.
“We will endorse the request of the DepEd to increase the salary of our guidance counselors because currently they are receiving Salary Grade 11, an entry level pay for teachers, but the requirement is a Masters degree,” Gatchalian said during the Senate hearing on Senate Bill No. 379 or the proposed Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act.
“So DepEd’s request is to increase, from SG 11 to SG 16, so that more guidance counselors would enter the force,” he said.
But Gatchalian said the country only has about 4,000 guidance counselors; the whole Philippines, he said, needs about 47,000 guidance counselors.
“So there is still about 43,000 missing. So this is where the law comes in,” he said.
In the meantime, the senator said it is imperative to train teachers in counseling students.
“We will train the teachers, because they are the ones who see the child...if they see the child is lethargic, they can detect any wrong behavior,” he said.
During the hearing, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban said there are roughly 775,962 learners who have sought guidance counseling, based on a 2021 data conducted by the agency.
“We believe that this is potentially underreported given the lack of guidance counselors in schools,” Galban said.
Galban also said that the total number of cases related to bullying, is roughly one (1) percent of the total cases, which is “again potentially underreported, among many other considerations.”
In 2021, the DepEd official also said that the total number of suicide cases recorded reached 404.
“This is something that we should look into...It is I believe that even one suicide case is too much, and that’s why we are very much in support of the bill,” he said.
“Based on our data, we have had 2,147 learners that attempted suicide and this is an alarming rate that continues to go up,” he pointed out.
“Given that transition between from the pandemic into face-to-face classes can also put a strain, in the same light, the transition from face-to-face to online provided the strain for our learners,” added Galban.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo also said he supports the passage of the bill into law as “we cannot afford to neglect the mental health needs of our children.”
“I urge my colleagues to support this bill,” Tulfo said during the hearing.
“Without any doubt, the importance of mental health cannot be overstated especially in the education sector. The youth, who make up the majority of the student population, are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues,” he pointed out.
“It is our duty to ensure that they are provided with the necessary support and services to address their mental health needs,” the senator added.