The Senate unanimously approved on the third and final reading a bill seeking to promote and ensure the mental health and well-being of learners in public and private basic education institutions.

Senator Win Gatchalian who authored and sponsored the Senate Bill No. 2200, seeks to institutionalize the School-Based Mental Health Program to promote and ensure the mental health and well-being of learners in public and private basic education institutions.

The pronounced act covers out-of-school children in special cases that include learners with disabilities or conditions, indigenous peoples, children in conflict with the law, learners in emergency situations, and other marginalized sectors.

Senate Bill No. 2200 also mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to establish and maintain Care Centers in every public basic education institution and ensure their establishment and maintenance in private basic education institutions.

Learners will be required to leave Care Centers with the knowledge and abilities necessary for self- and other mental health needs prevention, detection, appropriate response, and referral.

The bill proposes the creation of the new plantilla positions of Mental Health Associates I to V and Mental Health Specialists I to V, as well as the conversion of the existing plantilla positions of Guidance Counselors and Psychologists in the DepEd to Mental Health Specialists, in order to address the need for sufficient staff to run the School-Based Mental Health Program.

As cited by Gatchalian, there were only 1,192 filled positions for both guidance counselors and coordinators within the DepEd. For School Year 2023-2024, the DepEd said that more than 26 million learners are enrolled as of July 2022.

Meanwhile, DepEd's record shows 404 learners from public schools died by suicide for the School Year 2021-2022.