MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is accelerating the hiring of school counselor associates as the government steps up efforts to address bullying, mental health concerns and growing safety challenges affecting students.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the department has shortened the hiring process for School Counselor Associates (SCA) to about 36 days, a major reduction from the previous process that could take nearly four months.
The move is intended to put more trained personnel inside schools who can provide students with basic mental health and psychosocial support, identify problems early and help refer learners who need further assistance.
10,000 counselor positions being fast-tracked
DepEd is currently working to fill 10,000 School Counselor Associate I positions nationwide, with schools that have documented bullying cases or higher mental health needs expected to receive priority.
As of August 27, 9,702 of the 10,000 positions had already been posted through DepEd’s Agile Gateway for Appointments and Placements, or AGAP.
Of those positions, 785 were open for applications, 8,811 were undergoing assessment and 106 had already reached the appointment stage. The remaining positions were either awaiting the necessary staffing authorization or had yet to be posted.
DepEd is targeting the completion of assessment, appointment and onboarding so the new counselor associates can begin serving in schools by the end of the year.
Angara said the expansion of counseling support should complement physical security measures rather than replace them.
“While we carry out emergency drills and physical safety checks, we must respond to mental health needs with the same urgency,” Angara said in announcing the accelerated hiring initiative.
Bullying remains a serious concern
The push comes as bullying continues to be a significant concern in Philippine schools.
Data cited by Inquirer from the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that 43 percent of Filipino girls and 53 percent of Filipino boys reported being bullied at least a few times a month.
The same assessment found that roughly one in three Filipino students experienced bullying at least once a week. Among the 7,193 Filipino students who participated, 28 percent reported that other students had made fun of them, while 19 percent said they had been threatened by fellow students.
The figures highlight why education officials are looking beyond disciplinary action and placing greater emphasis on counseling, early intervention and mental health support.
Hiring accelerated after violence on campuses
The counselor expansion also follows several recent incidents of violence in Philippine schools.
DepEd earlier announced that it was fast-tracking the recruitment of counselor associates after school violence, saying mental health support must be part of a broader strategy for keeping campuses safe.
Schools identified as having documented bullying incidents, violence or significant mental health needs are expected to be prioritized in the deployment.
DepEd Undersecretary for Governance and Operations Malcolm Garma previously said schools considered “hotspots” based on violence mapping would be among those prioritized for additional support.
What will school counselor associates do?
The positions were created under Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act of 2024.
Under the program, School Counselor Associates are expected to provide frontline mental health and psychosocial support, information and advocacy, and learner referral services. They will also assist school counselors in delivering basic mental health and well-being services.
The Civil Service Commission approved the qualification standards for the newly created counselor positions in June 2026, covering positions ranging from School Counselor Associate I to V and School Counselor I to IV. The move was part of the implementation of RA 12080.
DepEd wants thousands more
The initial 10,000 positions may not be the end of the expansion.
DepEd has also sought an additional 5,000 School Counselor Associate I positions through a “scrap-and-build” process, primarily by converting existing vacant guidance-related positions.
The department has also indicated that additional funding will be needed to address the broader shortage of counseling personnel in public schools.
For Angara, however, adding counselors is only one part of the response.
DepEd has also been strengthening teacher training, child-protection mechanisms and interventions for bullying. The department has said that students who engage in bullying should undergo counseling focused on empathy, accountability and behavioral change, while schools are being encouraged to work more closely with parents and communities.
A bigger shift in how schools address bullying
The accelerated hiring signals a broader shift in the government’s approach to school safety: preventing bullying and violence is not solely a matter of discipline or physical security.
By putting more mental health personnel in schools, DepEd hopes students will have trusted adults they can approach before emotional distress, bullying or behavioral problems escalate.
The challenge now is turning the thousands of approved positions into actual personnel on the ground—and ensuring that the schools facing the greatest risks receive help first.
For Filipino students and parents, the success of the program may ultimately be measured not by the number of positions created, but by whether students feel safer, heard and supported when they need help most.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.S
Leave a Reply