DepEd to hire more counselors to stem school violence

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will hire more guidance counselors to deter violence in school premises following a series of crimes committed by minor students in different parts of the country.

DepEd Undersecretary Malcolm Garma on Thursday said school counselors serve as a crucial intervention, giving students the confidence to talk about their thoughts, feelings and other mental health concerns before turning to violence.

“We think that when expression is more open, communication inside schools can minimize or mitigate the violence they may be thinking of doing, but because of counseling, may not push through,” Garma told state-run PTV-4 in an interview.

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READ: DepEd chief bares severe shortage of guidance counselors in PH

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This comes amid a severe shortage of guidance counselors in the country.

As of 2022, only 4,069 counselors are serving 27.4 million elementary and high school students — a ratio of roughly 1:6700, far from the global standard of 1:250.

This shortage has been attributed to strict qualifications for the role, with DepEd facing difficulties in hiring “full-fledged” school counselors, said Garma.

Under Republic Act No. 9258, or the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, a guidance counselor must hold a license issued by the Professional Regulation Commission or at least a master’s degree in guidance and counseling to bypass examination, among others.

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To circumvent eligibility issues, Garma said DepEd will instead hire “guidance counselor associates who will be performing the same function as guidance counselor[s].”

Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act of 2024, created the “school counselor associate” position, which requires only a bachelor’s degree, to address the shortage.

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Meanwhile, DepEd continues to double down on intervention programs that address mental health issues among students, Garma said.

To prevent shootings and other crimes from happening inside school premises in the future, the Philippine National Police ordered all local police units across the country, in coordination with local DepEd offices, to conduct a comprehensive review of existing school safety measures.

READ: ‘Unacceptable:’ Marcos ‘heartbroken’ by Tacloban school shooting

Since last week, three attacks within school premises have reportedly been carried out by high school students, which Malacañang said was “unacceptable.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered all concerned agencies to undertake all necessary measures to prevent these kinds of violent acts, especially those occurring in schools and involving young people.

The deadliest incident occurred on June 22 at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where gunmen aged 14 and 15 fired at fellow classmates, killing three and injuring at least 20.

Two other stabbing incidents transpired in Cavite province last week.

On June 16, a 14-year-old Grade 8 student allegedly attacked seven Grade 5 pupils of Bethel Academy in Gen. Trias City with a kitchen knife.

An 18-year-old senior high school student, meanwhile, repeatedly stabbed a student at Cavite National High School in Cavite City on June 19.

The latest incident was an alleged foiled mass shooting plot on Thursday by a student at Tolosa National High School in Leyte, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. — With a report from Andre Esguerra, intern

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