The Department of Education (DepEd) is accelerating the recruitment and deployment of 10,000 School Counselor Associates (SCA) nationwide to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support for learners amid heightened concerns over school safety.
Following the approval of the SCA qualification standards by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on June 30, 2026, and the creation of 10,000 SCA I plantilla positions by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on July 15, 2026, DepEd has streamlined its hiring process to 36 days.
As of August 27, 2026, DepEd’s digital hiring portal, the Agile Gateway for Appointments and Placements (AGAP), has posted 9,702 SCA I positions. Of these, 785 are open for application, 8,811 are undergoing assessment, and 106 are at the appointment stage. The remaining 298 positions are awaiting the issuance of a Notice of Organization, Staffing and Compensation Action (NOSCA) or are yet to be posted.
Candidate assessments and appointments are expected to be completed soon, followed by onboarding to enable the deployment of the new counselor associates to schools by the end of the year.
DepEd emphasized that school safety requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both physical security and the mental health and well-being of learners.
“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,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.
“While we carry out emergency drills and physical safety checks, we must respond to mental health needs with the same urgency. By speeding up the hiring of our School Counselor Associates, we are creating a stronger safety net for our children,” he added.
Created under Republic Act No. 12080, or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act of 2024, the SCA positions are intended to provide frontline mental health and well-being services while supporting School Counselors in schools.
The 10,000 SCA I positions will complement School Counselors in delivering basic mental health and psychosocial support, information and advocacy services, and learner referral assistance.
Schools with documented cases of bullying or identified high mental health needs are being prioritized for deployment, according to DepEd.
The department has also requested an additional 5,000 SCA I positions through the scrap-and-build process, primarily by converting existing vacant guidance-related plantilla items.
The accelerated deployment marks a significant step in implementing the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, which was enacted on December 6, 2024.
DepEd submitted the proposed qualification standards for SCAs to the CSC on November 27, 2025. The CSC approved the standards on June 30, 2026, allowing the DBM to authorize the creation of the 10,000 SCA I positions on July 15, 2026.
The initiative forms part of DepEd’s broader school safety strategy, which combines strengthened physical security, emergency response preparedness, and accessible mental health and psychosocial services to better protect learners.
