Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, DepEd-7 regional director, cites one challenge of mental health awareness interventions in schools in Central Visayas — the lack of guidance counselors. | CDN Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Many schools in Central Visayas currently do not have guidance counselors.
This is according to an official of the Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7).
Without specifying the particular schools in need of guidance counselors, DepEd-7 Director Salustiano Jimenez said the region would require more than a hundred guidance counselors to be designated in various public schools.
No takers for guidance counselors
“Ang ato lang concern karon is we do have items for guidance counselor pero wala g’yoy takers kay walay available nga guidance counselors,” Jimenez told CDN Digital on Saturday, June 3.
(Our concern now is we do have items for guidance counselors but there are no takers because there are no available guidance counselors.)
“So, ang atong gibuhat is more on designation sa atong mga teachers. Gi-designate lang sila as guidance counselors, but they are not really equipped with the skills,” he added.
(So, what we are doing is more on designation of our teachers. We designated them as guidance counselors, but they are not really equipped with the skills.)
Guidance counselors in schools are tasked to encourage students in their academic, social, emotional, and personal development.
While other interventions to promote mental health awareness in school among teachers and learners are there, Jimenez has admitted that there are certain factors that make it still challenging.
Interventions during the pandemic
Acknowledging the pandemic’s impact of mental health on students and teachers, Jimenez said mental health awareness and psychosocial support were provided to teachers, while orientations were given to students.
“There are orientations regarding mental health. Though, dili g’yod ta makakuan g’yod no sa tanan-tanan nga makalikay (it cannot really prevent all the problems) 100 percent, but at least we’ve done something for our learners and teachers and even Deped officials,” the DepEd-7 chief said.
Jimenez said help desks had also been put up in schools.
DepEd-7 chief cites challenges
He, however, said accessing these would be particularly challenging for schools located in off-grid areas and islands where connectivity had remained a challenge.
“In those areas, what we did is more on orientations. Sa downtown, naa ta ana pero mao lagi, dili man gud mga bata ing ana, dili man na mo diretso sa ato. Maybe, we are still transitioning nga ang mga bata morefer na g’yod whenever they have different feelings, moopen sila,” he said.
(In those areas, what we did is more on orientations. In downtown, we have that but the kids now they don’t come to us directly. Maybe, we are still transitioning that the children will refer to us whenever they have different feelings. They will open up to us.)
Jimenez also said that the schools could also provide debriefing for a student who would attempt to take his or her own life.
In a February 2023 report of the Inquirer.Net, DepED, during a hearing of the Senate basic education committee, stated that a total of 404 young students in various parts of the country took their own lives.
And 2,147 others attempted suicide during the Academic Year 2021-2022, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Mental health crisis: 404 student suicides in 2021-22
DepEd-7 chief: Remedy for problem
As of now, Jimenez said the DepEd was already looking into how the department could address the lack of guidance counselors in schools.
“Kami mga directors nagrequest na nga if ever kato na lang [from] other related courses like psychologist or ni graduate lang og guidance and counseling. Bahalag di pa g’yod siya licensed because the law provides nga kinahanglan jud licensed pero lisod man kaayo, wala man jud tay available,” the DepEd chief added.
(We the directors have requested that if ever we can just hire those from other related courses like psychologist or one who graduated from guidance and counseling. Even if he or she is not licensed because the law provides that it is required that the persons should be licensed, but it is really difficult to have these persons, there are really no available ones for the job.)
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