Gatchalian bill to strengthen mental health services in basic education

Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill that seeks to strengthen the promotion and delivery of mental health services in the country's basic education schools.

Senate Bill No. 379 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, one of Gatchalian's priority measures for the 19th Congress, seeks to urgently counter the negative effects of the pandemic school closures on the mental health and socio-emotional development of learners, teachers and other non-teaching personnel. In the long-term, it aims to institutionalize the Mental Health and Well-Being Program, which will provide mental health services, emotional, developmental and preventive programs, and other support services in all public and private basic education schools. The proposed measure also seeks to hire mental health professionals and deploy them to public elementary, secondary, and vocational institutions.

The measure also seeks to establish a Mental Health and Well-Being Center in every public and private basic education school in the country. The Center will be responsible for delivering mental health and well-being services.

To address the shortage of Guidance Counselors nationwide, Gatchalian pushes for the creation of a sufficient number of plantilla items for the positions of Guidance Counselor and Guidance Associate, a new position created under the measure. A Guidance Associate should be a graduate of Bachelor's degree in Guidance and Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, and other allied disciplines or any related courses.

Gatchalian also proposes to raise the Salary Grades (SG) of Guidance Counselor I from SG 11 (P25,439) to SG 16 (P38,150), Guidance Counselor II from SG 12 (P27,608) to SG 17 (P41,508), and Guidance Counselor III from SG 13 (P29,798) to SG 18 (P45,203).

While the Department of Education requires basic education schools to hire one Guidance Counselor for every 500 students, Gatchalian points out that the Philippines has only 4,069 Guidance Counselors as of June 2022 since the first batch took the licensure examinations in 2008. Gatchalian flags that with 27.4 million elementary and high school schools, the desired ratio of 1:500 Guidance Counselor to students is not being met.

"Titiyakin natin na ang ating mga paaralan ay may sapat na bilang ng mga propesyonal at dalubhasa pagdating sa mental health. Napapanahon ito lalo na't patuloy tayong bumabangon mula sa pinsala ng pandemya, kung saan nakita natin ang matinding pinsala sa mental health ng ating mga guro at mga mag-aaral," said Gatchalian.

Gatchalian pointed out that his proposed measure supports DepEd's learning recovery plan, which also seeks to address the socio-emotional and behavioral recovery of learners.

Dekalidad na mental health services sa mga paaralan isinusulong ni Gatchalian

Naghain si Senador Win Gatchalian ng panukalang batas na layong paigtingin ang pagsulong at paghahatid ng mga serbisyong pang-mental health sa mga basic education schools ng bansa. Ang panukalang batas ay isa sa mga prayoridad ni Gatchalian ngayong 19th Congress.

Layon ng Senate Bill No 379 o Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act na tugunan ang mga negatibong epekto ng pagsasara ng mga paaralan sa mental health at socio-emotional development ng mga mag-aaral, mga guro, at mga non-teaching personnel.

Layon din ng panukalang batas na gawing institutionalized ang "Mental Health and Well-Being Program" na magbibigay ng mga mental health services, emotional, developmental, at preventive programs, pati na rin ang iba pang mga support services sa lahat mga pampubliko at pribadong paaralan sa basic education. Layunin din ng panukalang batas ang pagkakaroon ng mga mental health professionals sa mga pampublikong paaralan sa elementary at high school, at mga vocational institutions.

Sa ilalim ng naturang panukalang batas, magkakaroon ng "Mental Health and Well-Being Center" ang bawat pribado at pampublikong paaralan sa bansa. Ang naturang Center ay magiging responsable sa paghahatid ng mental health at iba't ibang well-being services.

Upang tugunan ang kakulangan ng mga Guidance Counselors sa buong bansa, isinusulong ni Gatchalian ang paglikha ng sapat na bilang ng mga plantilla items para sa posisyon ng Guidance Counselor at Guidance Associate, isang bagong posisyon na nilikha ng panukalang batas. Ang isang Guidance Associate ay dapat nakapagtapos ng Bachelor's degree sa Guidance and Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, Human Services, at iba pang mga allied disciplines at related courses.

Iminumungkahi din ni Gatchalian na itaas ang Salary Grades (SG) ng Guidance Counselor I sa SG 16 (P38,150) mula SG 11 (P25,439), Guidance Counselor II sa SG 17 (P41,508) mula SG 12 (P27,608), at Guidance Counselor III sa SG 18 (P45,203) mula SG 13 (P29,798).

Batay sa mga pamantayan ng Department of Education (DepEd), kailangan ng bawat paaralan sa bansa ang isang Guidance Counselor kada limang-daang (500) mag-aaral. Ngunit pinuna ni Gatchalian na buhat nitong Hunyo 2022, meron lamang mahigit apat na libong (4,069) Guidance Counselors sa bansa mula sa unang batch ng mga kumuha ng licensure examinations noong 2008. Dahil mahigit dalawampu't pitong (27.4) milyon ang mga mag-aaral mula elementarya at high school, kulang na kulang ang bilang ng mga Guidance Counselors sa bansa.

"Titiyakin natin na ang ating mga paaralan ay may sapat na bilang ng mga propesyonal at dalubhasa pagdating sa mental health. Napapanahon ito lalo na't patuloy tayong bumabangon mula sa pinsala ng pandemya, kung saan nakita natin ang matinding pinsala sa mental health ng ating mga guro at mga mag-aaral," ani Gatchalian.

Dagdag pa ni Gatchalian, suportado ng panukalang batas ang learning recovery plan ng DepEd na layon ding tugunan ang socio-emotional at behavioral recovery ng mga mag-aaral.