Lee Posted August 17 Posted August 17 To fill up the job vacancies for guidance counselors in public schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) is working to reclassify their current pay grade and make the requirements easier for applicants. Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Friday acknowledged the lack of mental health practitioners catering to students, with about 4,000 plantilla positions still unfilled in public schools nationwide. “We want to reclassify the position and we’ll ask for permission from the Department of Budget and Management. From Salary Grade 11, we’ll make it Salary Grade 13,” Angara said in a radio interview. Under the adjusted salary schedule issued by Malacañang on Aug. 2, government personnel under Salary Grade 11 will receive a monthly salary of P28,512 as first tranche this year, while those under Salary Grade 13 will get P32,870. “That’s the starting [salary], which I find really low, [especially] for those already holding a master’s degree,” Angara said. The new education chief, who assumed the post only last month, also blamed the dearth of guidance counselors on current policies that allow only those who graduated with a master’s degree to become a full-fledged guidance counselor. Ongoing study To address this, Angara said, DepEd is studying how those with an undergraduate degree in psychology and other related courses could also be hired in public schools. “There is a law that you have to have a master’s degree … on guidance and counseling. Because of [this], it is hard to fill the positions that are actually available,” he explained, referring to Republic Act No. 9258, or the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004.“So, there is a compromise and it’s not yet (final), but this is (being considered) in talks: to let bachelor’s degree holders … take the position, (provided) that in five years they finish their master’s degree,” he added. However, Angara warned that this setup could make unlicensed guidance counselors “vulnerable” to being replaced by those with licenses. Campus bullying Despite the lack of guidance counselors, Angara reminded public and private schools to ensure that they have antibullying policies in place. According to the annual monitoring by DepEd, a total of 7,742 cases of bullying was recorded in the school year 2022 to 2023. The majority of the cases involved “physical” bullying (4,273), while the rest were classified as social bullying (1,742 cases), cyberbullying (1,137) and gender-based bullying (590). A study by the De La Salle University and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) released in June showed that bullying was more common in public schools with large class sizes and mostly involved students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In a 2022 study, the Program for International Student Assessment (Pisa) found that a third of Filipino students encounter a type of bullying at least once a week. Career advancement Angara earlier opened promotion opportunities for public schoolteachers when he signed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) institutionalizing the “career progression policy” of Executive Order No. 174, which was issued by his predecessor in 2022. Under the IRR, which he signed on July 26 or just six days into his DepEd post, the newly created positions of Teacher IV to Teacher VII will fall under Salary Grades 14 to 17, corresponding to a monthly pay of P35,000 to P45,000, based on the updated schedule. Another new position, Master Teacher V, will be under Salary Grade 22, or about P74,000 to P82,000. DepEd needs about 4,000 guidance counselors (msn.com) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk blues Posted August 18 Posted August 18 What springs to mind is what happened to the budget which presumably was allocated to the DepEd previously for these posts? Same with textbooks and so on. Questions need to be asked but much more importantly answers need to be provided to those questions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffH Posted August 18 Posted August 18 (edited) Our local public school seems pretty well organised, and equipped for a public school. The rooms have mounted flat screen TV, laptop, printer, fans and paper supplies. And there is a full size covered basketball court with a covered stage at one end equipped with PA and large speakers (doubles as outdoor assembly/meeting area). There are decent CR facilities and a row of drinking taps hooked to a tank system. The yard areas are keep neat and clean and are decorated. The teachers seem decent as well. I'm guessing not all public schools are as well run? Edited August 18 by GeoffH 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Peterson Posted August 18 Posted August 18 Just now, GeoffH said: I'm guessing not all public schools are as well run? Many would be very surprised if they cared to Visit some and see for themselves 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffH Posted August 18 Posted August 18 Just now, Jack Peterson said: Many would be very surprised if they cared to Visit some and see for themselves We visited the 3 closet ones before enrolling the kids. The closest one is very small and didn't have many facilities, the farthest one is the largest and appeared not as well maintained. Hence our choice. I'd be interested to hear your experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Peterson Posted August 18 Posted August 18 7 minutes ago, GeoffH said: We visited the 3 closet ones before enrolling the kids. The closest one is very small and didn't have many facilities, the farthest one is the largest and appeared not as well maintained. Hence our choice. I'd be interested to hear your experiences. A cross section of public schools in my area; https://dumaguete.com/public-schools-dumaguete/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJReyes Posted August 18 Posted August 18 It's easy to make a statement like, "We need 4,000 guidance counselors." You are not going to solve the problem. My proposed solution is to offer college graduates a master's degree program subsidized by the Bureau of Education. The incentive is a good paying job after completion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Mike J Posted August 18 Forum Support Posted August 18 10 hours ago, Jack Peterson said: A cross section of public schools in my area; https://dumaguete.com/public-schools-dumaguete/ The website kind of reminds of PH real estate adds. Question Jack. Do the nice pictures reflect what they look like now and how about the interior, equipment, etc? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support scott h Posted August 18 Forum Support Posted August 18 10 hours ago, JJReyes said: offer college graduates a master's degree program subsidized by the Bureau of Education You would have to some type of signed enforceable contract to ensure that they do not take the education and immigrate. Enforceable being the operative word. I believe they had a program like this in the states with teachers. Subsidized education and then teach X number of years in rural or undesirable locations. Do not know if it worked or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Peterson Posted August 19 Posted August 19 2 hours ago, Mike J said: The website kind of reminds of PH real estate adds. Question Jack. Do the nice pictures reflect what they look like now and how about the interior, equipment, etc? Well maybe that is a good thing when people are looking for a school Having had a long shut down and Money was allocated for it I would like to think things are now spruced up and were ready for the Off, However I have asked my SIL (Teacher) to take some photos of her classroom so I can see and maybe answer you more fully 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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