(PNA photo by Yancy Lim)
MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking the removal of the requirement of a master’s degree to become guidance counselors in a bid to fill vacancies and help address bullying in schools.
There are around 5,000 vacant guidance counselor positions in schools across the country, which exacerbates the country’s problem on bullying, according to Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom 2) Executive Director Karol Mark Yee during a Place press briefing on Tuesday.
With the current setup, Yee said it may take the country 14 years to fill up the vacancies.
“Iyong vacancies natin sa DepEd, almost 5,000, plantilla positions ng guidance counsellors, wala. Iyon pala, kapag tiningnan mo, wala namang nag-o-offer ng master’s in guidance counselling all over the country (Our vacancies in the DepEd, there are 5,000 unfilled plantilla positions for guidance counsellors. But when you look at it, there’s no institution in the country that offers master’s in guidance counselling),” Yee said.
“Iyong average graduation numbers, 300 per year (By average, our graduation number is around 300 per year). To fill all of the vacancies, it will take us 14 years by the current setup,” he added.
Secretary Sonny Angara said the DepEd had sat down with the Civil Service Commission and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to address the issue.
He said they are working to allow guidance and counselling degree holders, Psychology graduates and other professionals with related expertise to fill the vacancies of guidance counsellors in schools.
At the same time, Angara urged legislators to amend the law that requires a master’s degree for guidance counselors.
“‘Yun ang nagpapahirap. Nakalagay na (That makes it difficult, that requirement) to be a guidance counselor, you must have a master’s degree. So ang hirap nun eh (That's hard). To be a teacher, diba you only need a bachelor’s degree. You don’t need master’s degree,” he said.
Under Republic Act 9258 or the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, guidance counseling may be practiced only by someone who passed the licensure exam given by the Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance and Counseling.
The exam may be taken by a holder of a Bachelor's Degree in Guidance and Counseling or in other Allied Disciplines and a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from an institution in the Philippines or abroad recognized or accredited by the CHEd.
Anti-bullying law compliance
Meanwhile, Angara emphasized the importance of schools’ compliance with the anti-bullying law, which mandates them to craft and enforce their anti-bullying policies.
“Nakalagay sa (Stipulated in the) anti-bullying law, which we authored noong congressman pa tayo (when I was still a congressman), is that each school is required to have an anti-bullying policy. Pero hindi sinasabi ng batas kung (The law does not specify) how strict they have to be pero ang kailangan may policy sila (but a policy is required),” Angara said.
“Ang problema (The problem) on the ground, very few schools have their own anti-bullying policy. We will really monitor and track the compliance on this,” he added. (PNA)
