Thousands of students may remain without dedicated mental health support as the Department of Education works to fill only 10,000 of the 48,000 school counselor associate positions it says are needed nationwide, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Wednesday.

Angara said DepEd aims to have a counselor associate in every school but does not have enough funding to meet that target immediately.

“We need to hire 48,000 student counselor associates, one for every school. But our budget for 2026 only covers 10,000,” Angara said in a television interview.

Angara said the expansion is particularly important as DepEd responds to recent school violence, including Tuesday's shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University that left two students dead and another injured.

He said counselor associates would provide students with someone they can approach when they are struggling.

“Ang kailangan lang, may kakausapin ang bata, hindi niya nararamdaman na wala siyang mapuntahan o wala siyang matakbuhan,” Angara said.

Billions needed

Angara said filling the remaining positions would require several billion pesos, so DepEd may have to pursue a phased hiring program.

“Siguro nasa kalahating milyon na yan. So if you multiply that by P30,000, that's several billions of pesos,” he said, referring to the broader personnel requirement and the estimated monthly pay.

He said DepEd could spread the hiring over a year or 3 to 5 years to make the additional funding more manageable.

The department's 2026 budget provides for 10,000 School Counselor Associate I positions. The national budget message specifically identifies the posts as part of efforts to support learners' mental health. 

The need for more personnel comes as schools face a shortage of professional guidance counselors. Under RA 12080, registered guidance counselors and psychologists must have at least a master's degree, while school counselor associates can qualify through specified bachelor's-level education and training. 

“That’s why we are hiring 10,000 school counselor associates because we cannot hire enough guidance counselors,” Angara said.

Security gap

But mental health support is not the only area where DepEd faces a manpower shortage. Angara acknowledged that not all public schools have security guards, citing budget constraints.

“Not all schools have them yet because DepEd really lacks the budget for this,” he said.

Some schools rely on assistance from local government units, private organizations and parent-teacher groups to provide security, Angara said.

For smaller schools with about 100 students or fewer, barangay tanods may help patrol entrances, particularly during arrival and dismissal times, he said.

DepEd is considering stronger physical security measures following the Zamboanga shooting, including CCTV cameras, metal detectors, improved gates and additional security guards.

Angara, however, said school safety should not focus only on keeping weapons out of campuses.

“Hindi lang yung pagtuturo ng mga nasa libro kundi ang pangangamusta sa bata at pagtingin na maayos ang kanilang pag-iisip at kalagayan, yan ang bibigyan natin ng mas pinaiting na focus,” he said.