DepEd seeks to add more guidance counselors, work with PNP to protect students

Apart from strengthening the security of public schools amid the recent school shooting in Tacloban City, a Department of Education (IDepEd) official on Sunday said they are also addressing the need to improve guidance counseling for students.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, DepEd Undersecretary Malcolm Garma said the majority of the department's regional directors are intensifying coordination with law enforcement agencies after Education Secretary Sonny Angara called for an emergency meeting of regional directors to discuss what actions are being taken in the aftermath of the deadly shooting that left 3 students dead and 20 hurt.

Garma said the Philippine National Police and Department of Interior and Local Government have committed to bolster police visibility outside public schools nationwide.

“Police presence can serve as a deterrent and this is something the PNP has made a commitment to via the PNP chief and DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Not just police but even the barangays in the form of barangay security and tanods,” he said.

Apart from the physical presence of cops outside school premises, Garma said the second component of collaboration is in the form of addressing cybercrime.

According to the Deped official, they were informed by olice cybersecurity representatives that they have monitored websites and online games where children play that may influence “violent tendencies”.

“Ito ay isang bagay na pinagtutulungan na ma-monitor ‘yung online activities ng ating mga mag-aaral… babantayan itong mga online games na may violent aspects .”

The PNP earlier said it is looking into the possibility that the violent behavior of one of the two minor suspects in Monday's fatal shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City may have been influenced by the online game GoreBox.

Guidance counseling

Garma said the Tacloban City incident has also raised the need for hiring more guidance counselors to address the needs of students.

Admitting the challenges in hiring full-fledged counselors, Garma said DepEd has decided to add guidance counselor associates to fill the gap.

“Instead of hiring full-fledged guidance counselors, DepEd will hire guidance counselor associates who have lesser qualifications and requirements but will be performing the same functions. The intention is to intensify guidance counseling for our schools,” he explained.

According to Garma, public schools need at least one guidance counselor on staff with three to five counselors for schools with larger student populations.

Aside from acquiring more guidance counselors, Garma said the DepEd wants to change the picture on how guidance counselors are viewed by students, who sometimes consider being called to meet said school officials as a sign they have done something wrong or are in trouble with the school.

“We want to change the picture of how the guidance counselor is viewed kasi sa halip na puntahan ay (nilalalayuan),” he pointed out.

(Instead of being approached, guidance counselors are avoided.)

“Importante na nakakapagsalita ang mga bata, nasasabi nila ang mga problema bago pa ito sumambulat o bago pa mauwi sa karahasan,” he added.

(It’s important that the children are given the chance to speak out, they can share their problems before they burst out or end in violence.)

Garma said the DepEd will adopt a more "facilitative approach" on guidance counselling.

“Number one is profiling- sino ba ang mga bata na hindi pumapasok o ‘yung batang medyo malungkot o parating na-iisolate. Ito yung mga importante na dapat nakikita ng ating mga counselors at doon magsisimula ang facilitation at processing. At makapaglagay ng mga mekanismo o platforms ang schools where the learners can go and talk,” he said.

(Who are the children who are not attending classes or who are those who are sad or isolated. These are important observations that our counselors should be observing and this is where facilitation and processing begins. And our schools can put mechanisms or platforms where learners can go and talk.)

He said San Jose National High School has one assigned on staff but is not yet a fully-fledged guidance counselor but added some teachers are trained to provide guidance counseling.

“Ang problema sa Tacloban ay na-detach ang bata, hindi na na-monitor. And when we were there we would have liked to ask the adviser but matindi trauma ng adviser kaya hindi pa masyadong makapag salita,” the DepEd official said.

(The problem in Tacloban was that the child was detached, was not monitored. We wanted to talk to his adviser but she was too traumatized and was unable to talk.) —RF, GMA News