Students need counselors. DepEd 6 has almost none

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Guidance counselors play a key role in helping students navigate academic, behavioral, career, and mental health concerns, but nearly nine in 10 plantilla positions for the profession remain vacant in public secondary schools across Western Visayas, according to the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6.

The shortage comes as schools prepare to implement Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which seeks to strengthen school-based mental health programs by creating new counseling positions, establishing Care Centers in schools, and expanding access to mental health services for learners.

Signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Dec. 9, 2024, the law requires a Care Center in every public school and a Mental Health and Well-Being Office in every Schools Division Office to oversee the programs.

As of June 30, DepEd 6 recorded 350 existing guidance counselor plantilla positions in secondary schools, of which 306 remain vacant, leaving only 44 occupied.

The region has no plantilla guidance counselor positions for elementary schools.

Regional Director Cristito A. Eco said guidance counselor positions have long been considered hard to fill because of the stringent qualification requirements and the relatively low salary attached to the posts.

“Guidance counselors are considered hard-to-fill items because the salary is low but the qualifications are high. You can’t take the licensure examination without a master’s degree,” Eco said during a press conference.

Under Republic Act No. 9258, or the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, applicants must hold a master’s degree in guidance and counseling before they may take the licensure examination administered by the Professional Regulation Commission.

He noted that the limited pool of licensed guidance counselors often pursues better-paying opportunities outside DepEd.

“Because of the limited supply of guidance counselors, DepEd has initiated allowing teachers to act as guidance counselors, although there are limitations,” he added.

Reflecting this arrangement, the latest regional data showed that 2,265 teachers and personnel were designated to perform guidance counseling functions in elementary schools, while 418 were assigned in secondary schools across the region.

Among the school divisions, Iloilo posted the highest number, with 919 designated guidance counselors in elementary schools and 182 in secondary schools, followed by Antique with 484 and 48, respectively, plus one guidance coordinator in secondary, and Capiz with 417 and 51.

Aklan had 282 designated personnel in elementary and 93 in secondary, followed by Guimaras with 98 and 18, Passi City with 38 and seven, and Roxas City with 27 and 15. Iloilo City had no designated personnel in elementary but four in secondary schools, along with 52 guidance coordinators in elementary and 11 in secondary.

As the department works to address the shortage, Administrative and Services Division Chief Jessica Sapalo said DepEd 6 has begun aligning its guidance counselor positions with Republic Act No. 12080, which created the School Counselor Associate position.

She said the department’s Human Resource and Organizational Development Office issued a memorandum on Jan. 22 directing the conversion and reclassification of existing guidance counselor and guidance coordinator positions.

In compliance with the directive, DepEd 6 submitted 46 existing positions to the Central Office in February for retitling or reclassification.

Pending approval, the filling of vacant guidance counselor and guidance coordinator positions has been temporarily suspended.

“We are waiting for the instructions,” Sapalo said.

She added that the region has also proposed nine additional plantilla positions, which likewise remain subject to approval by the department.

Assistant Regional Director Miguel Mac D. Aposin reiterated that the shortage remains a major challenge in strengthening learner support services, but expressed hope that the reclassification of positions and the creation of School Counselor Associate posts would help improve guidance services in schools.

“Our target is not only safe campuses but also supported learners. Guidance counselor is a sensitive position — not just anybody can fill it,” he said.

Under DepEd’s staffing standard, schools are expected to have one guidance counselor for every 500 learners.