By Stephanie Sevillano | Philippine News Agency
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said expanded systems for mental health and reporting are needed to address school violence incidents.
Education Secretary Sonny made the remark a day after the conduct of the first-ever active shooter drill during the National Safe Schools Summit at Manila Science High School on Wednesday.
In a statement, the education chief stressed that efforts to ensure school safety must go beyond active shooter drills.
“Hindi sapat na masanay lang ang ating mga mag-aaral sa mga drill para sa kanilang pisikal na kaligtasan,” Angara said.
“Kailangan din nating siguruhin ang kanilang mental at emosyonal na kalusugan, at tiyaking may malalapitan silang helpline at mga gabay sa bawat paaralan nang walang takot.”
Angara then cited their efforts to enhance the agency’s protective reporting mechanisms for learners in distress.
To date, the DepEd has expanded its National Learners TeleSafe Contact Center Helpline (LTCCH) to all regions to ensure the provision of more accessible and crucial psychological support services for the youth.
This allows learners to submit their reports without fear, with cases addressed in partnership with the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).
The agency, likewise, is fast-tracking the hiring of about 10,000 School Counselor Associates (SCAs) following the approval of the qualification standards from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
These SCAs are expected to boost direct and school-level support to address learners’ mental health concerns and emotional well-being.
Besides these, public schools are also adopting localized anti-bullying measures and basic security protocols such as regular bag checks, in adherence with DepEd Order 6, s. 2026 or the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE).
Under this initiative, early warning signs of both online and offline abuse through social-emotional learning (SEL) are being taught to learners through curriculum integration and in-person discussions.
The SEL focuses mainly on “red flags of abuse, learners’ rights, anti-bullying programs, reporting and referral mechanisms, and promotion of help-seeking behavior.”
Besides these expanded mental health and reporting services, Angara earlier underscored the need for inter-agency collaboration to intensify security measures in public schools.
This proactive safety framework includes a nationwide school safety audit and increased police visibility.
The education chief also mentioned the proposed increase in budgets for the hiring of security personnel, as well as the procurement of CCTV systems, metal detectors, and school perimeter fence repairs.
About P8 billion in funds is “ideally” needed to cover the security demands in all public schools across the country, Angara said.
