In a Senate panel last January 31, DepEd Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban presented that at the height of the pandemic in 2021, 404 students committed suicide and died, 2,147 attempted it and 775,962 sought guidance counseling, among the 28 million student population.
“At least in 2021, the total number of suicide cases recorded, and again, this is something that we should look into, is 404. I believe that even one suicide case is too much, and that’s why we are very much in support of the bill,” Galban said.
Galban also added that the number of students who attempted suicide is alarming as it continues to go up.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the problem is because of the lack of mental health programs and mental health experts.
Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 379 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act which seeks to strengthen the promotion and delivery of mental health services in primary education.
Galban added that with roughly 2,093 registered guidance counselors that the schools have, and a population growth target of 28 million, the ideal ratio is not hit.
The recommended ratio actually is one to 250,” he added. “But if you look into the numbers, 2,000 to 28 million that’s one is to 13,394. So clearly there is a gap to be filled.”
The DepEd official also said that there were issues with the salary n of the guidance counselors stating that the degree requirement of the profession is not commensurate with the compensation provided.
