CAPIZ — The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) will deploy social workers to assist the Department of Education (DepEd) in Capiz in providing mental health and psychosocial services to learners amid a persistent shortage of guidance counselors and increasing concerns over school violence and student trauma.
The initiative was announced during an interagency meeting on July 1, where PSWDO Head Joerine Tan said the provincial government is prepared to augment DepEd’s mental health services by assigning municipal social workers to schools.
“We can utilize our social workers positioned in various municipalities to provide essential mental health and psychosocial support to students,” Tan said.
She added that if municipal social workers are unavailable, the PSWDO can deploy its own personnel to help meet the division’s requirements. The office currently has seven registered social workers.
The move comes as schools in Western Visayas continue to struggle with a shortage of guidance counselors, with many plantilla positions remaining vacant for more than five years.
According to DepEd Western Visayas Regional Director Dr. Cristito A. Eco, the guidance counselor positions have become “hard-to-fill” due to low salary grades, stringent qualification requirements, and more competitive opportunities in the private sector.
Eco said guidance counselors play a vital role in implementing school-based mental health programs, providing counseling services to victims and perpetrators of bullying, promoting positive discipline, and ensuring compliance with mandatory reporting protocols.
He noted that public school guidance counselors start at Salary Grade 11, which many professionals consider inadequate considering the educational qualifications required.
To qualify for the licensure examination, applicants must complete a bachelor’s degree and earn a master’s degree specializing in guidance and counseling.
“The path to becoming a guidance counselor requires considerable educational commitment, resulting in two degrees for candidates, yet the compensation offered is not competitive,” Eco said.
He added that the disparity between educational investment and compensation has discouraged many qualified professionals from entering government service.
“Our guidance counselor positions have been difficult to fill for about five years now, qualifying them as hard-to-fill items. The low salary compared to extensive qualifications acts as a deterrent for many potential candidates,” he said.
DepEd-6 reported that there are only 56 guidance counselors holding plantilla positions in secondary schools across Capiz, while no registered guidance counselors are assigned to elementary schools in the province.
Regionwide, DepEd-6 said there are only 350 registered guidance counselors serving secondary schools, while elementary schools have no registered guidance counselors despite the ideal ratio of one guidance counselor per school.
Based on DepEd-6 data, Iloilo has the highest number of plantilla guidance counselors with 158, followed by Capiz with 56, Antique with 45, Aklan with 39, Iloilo City with 22, Guimaras with 14, Roxas City with nine, and Passi City with seven.
Provincial officials expressed hope that the deployment of social workers will help bridge the gap in counseling services and ensure that learners receive timely mental health and psychosocial support as schools continue to address bullying, violence, trauma, and other student welfare concerns./PN
