ILOILO City – Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara expressed no surprise over the shortage of guidance counselors in Western Visayas, noting that the issue is a nationwide concern with over 4,000 vacancies across the country.
According to Angara, who was here recently, the situation in Region 6 is not unique.
There is a significant hiring gap for school guidance counselors nationwide “because there is a law that requires candidates to have a master’s degree before they can take on the role,” he explained.
DepEd Region 6 currently has only 36 registered guidance counselors holding plantilla items. It needs an additional 476.
“The guidance counselor position has been reported as hard to fill. We’ve already reported this to the Central Office,” said Romeo Sanchez, administrative and human resource management officer of DepEd-6.
Dr. Ramir Uytico, regional director of DepEd-6, cited the master’s degree requirement as one of the primary reasons for the shortage.
“We have available items for guidance counselors, but there are no takers because the qualification requires an MA degree. In fact, this is one of the many unfilled positions due to a lack of qualified applicants, and the salary isn’t very competitive,” Uytico explained.
Uytico expressed hope that Congress and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) would address the issue by raising the salaries of guidance counselors and considering adjustments to the qualification requirements.
For now, schools without registered guidance counselors have assigned capable teachers to act as counselors, adding these tasks to their existing responsibilities.
Uytico underscored the importance of addressing the shortage of registered guidance counselors not only in Region 6 but across the country, given their critical role in managing mental health issues among students and school personnel.
Meanwhile, Angara is optimistic that the recently enacted “Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act” will speed up the hiring process. The law includes provisions that relax the educational requirements for guidance counselors.
“The new Mental Health Law passed by the Senate and Congress has eased the educational requirements, making it easier to hire guidance professionals or counselors,” Angara added.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the “Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act” into law on Dec. 9.
The law institutionalizes mental health and well-being programs for basic education learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel in public and private schools. It aims to ensure that students and educators are emotionally and mentally equipped to excel amid modern challenges./PN
