DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd-10) Regional Director Arturo Bayucot said there is a need to raise the salary grade of guidance counselors to attract licensed applicants and fill up positions which, he said, continue to remain unfilled because of uncompetitive rates.
“Naa tay daghan items na bakante, wa gyuy nangaplay. Daghan nangaplay nga dili qualified (Many unfilled positions but the only ones are applying for them are unqualified),” 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 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 Commission on Higher Education (Ched).
Bayucot said this problem affects not only the region but the whole country as well.
“Unya musulod ka imong sweldo Salary Grade 11, nakahuman na ka’s Masters, nakapasar na ka’s board exam, that’s not very attractive (You are done with your Masters, you have passed the board exams and if you are hired, your pay is equivalent to Salary Grade 11),” Bayucot explained.
New teachers start at salary grade 11 which is equivalent to about P27,000 per month.
Bayucot said the positions for guidance counselors need to be filled up in light of behavioral problems typical of some children.
Schools need to address mental health as this can lead to other issues such as depression, he said.
Presently, the education department is responding to students’ mental health issues by training teachers to handle guidance counseling and through Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd (Ok sa DepEd), Bayucot said.
DepEd comprises six flagship programs, namely, the School-Based Feeding Program; Medical, Dental, and Nursing Services; Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools; Adolescent Reproductive Health; National Drug Education Program; and the School Mental Health Program.
