Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is proposing to increase the number of “guidance designates” in public schools as a way to address rising cases of bullying and youth violence.
He made the recommendation during a Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing that focused on recent incidents of bullying in both elementary and high schools.
“Part of our recommendation to DepEd (Department of Education) is to review the role of guidance designates. Maybe we can increase their number depending on the size of the school by adjusting the ratio,” the senator said.
Guidance designates are teachers assigned to take on responsibilities related to guidance and counseling services when licensed counselors are unavailable.
Gatchalian emphasized that the current number of guidance designates is not enough to meet the needs of students experiencing mental health issues and bullying.
He called on the DepEd to revisit its current policy of assigning one guidance counselor or designate for every 500 students.
According to DepEd data, 10,412 of the country’s 45,326 public schools have no guidance designates assigned for School Year 2024–2025.
This lack of designated staff leaves millions of students without immediate access to basic guidance services and mental health support.
While the senator remains firm on removing non-teaching tasks from educators, he acknowledged that assigning more guidance designates is a necessary temporary measure.
