DepEd Aims to Deploy 10,000 School Counselor Associates Nationwide by Year-End

The Department of Education (DepEd) is accelerating the recruitment and deployment of 10,000 School Counselor Associates (SCAs) across the country as part of its efforts to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support for learners in public schools.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said DepEd is fast-tracking the initiative following recent incidents of violence in school campuses, with the agency targeting the deployment of the newly hired personnel before the end of 2026.

“Keeping our schools safe is not just about building fences or installing metal detectors. It is also about making sure our learners have trusted, caring adults to talk to whenever they are going through tough times,” Angara said.

DepEd said its standard hiring process has been shortened to 36 days following the Civil Service Commission’s approval of the qualification standards for School Counselor Associate I on June 30, 2026, and the creation of 10,000 plantilla positions by the Department of Budget and Management on July 15.

As of August 27, DepEd’s Agile Gateway for Appointments and Placements (AGAP) showed that 9,702 SCA I positions had already been posted. Of these, 785 positions were open for applications, 8,811 were undergoing assessment, and 106 were already for appointment.

The remaining 298 positions were either awaiting the issuance of a Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (NOSCA) or had yet to be posted. DepEd said assessments and appointments will be completed ahead of the onboarding process to ensure that qualified counselor associates can be assigned to schools within the year.

The positions were created pursuant to Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act of 2024. School Counselor Associates will provide frontline mental health and well-being services, basic psychosocial support, information and advocacy activities, and learner referral services while assisting school counselors.

According to Angara, schools with documented bullying cases and higher mental health needs will be prioritized in the deployment of the new personnel.

“While we carry out emergency drills and physical safety checks, we must respond to mental health needs with the same urgency,” Angara said. “By speeding up the hiring of our School Counselor Associates, we are creating a stronger safety net for our children.”

Aside from the initial 10,000 SCA I positions, DepEd has also requested the creation of an additional 5,000 positions through the government’s scrap-and-build process, primarily by converting existing vacant guidance-related positions.