DepEd adopts ‘buddy system’ for students’ mental health

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday launched a “buddy system” in schools to provide students a “safe space” where they could help and support one another.

In a statement, the DepEd said that students will be organized into structured buddy pairings or small peer groups through its “My Buddy System” program, which was launched in observance of National School Safety Week.

The program seeks to promote mental health and psychosocial support and is a “key component” of its broader school safety campaign, the agency said.

READ: DepEd to launch school digital safety drive as campus violence rises

In a Viber message to the Inquirer, the DepEd said the buddy system will be focused on creating safe spaces for older learners to help and mentor younger learners, taking inspiration from a “big brother/big sister model.”

While such practices have been used primarily to have students help each other with their studies, the agency said it aims to use this system “as an avenue for kumustahan sessions and [create] safe spaces for students to discuss their concerns and encourage help-seeking behavior among learners.”

The National School Safety Week began implementation through a DepEd memorandum issued on Oct. 9, mandating its observance across all public elementary and secondary schools annually from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16.

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Complementary system

This initiative comes following a rise in school violence in the country, with three fatal shootings occurring in schools in Zamboanga City, Tacloban and South Cotabato earlier this year.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said having peer support can help break down “communication barriers” among youth in distress.

“In accordance with the order of President Marcos to ensure that our students are safe and supported, we are promoting peer facilitation because there are times when it is easier for a child to open up to his fellow student,” he said.

“[T]hrough peer facilitation, we are providing them with a safe space to help each other. But it is clear that it will be complementary, not a replacement, to our guidance counselors and teachers who will continue to guide them,” added Angara.

To provide adult supervision, the DepEd said it will expedite the hiring and deployment of school counselor associates to support school counselors. These professionals, it said, will be tasked with supervising the peer groups while also facilitating debriefings.

The DepEd added that other protection concerns and external referrals will be handled by the schools’ child protection committees and care centers.

The agency has “compressed” the recruitment and hiring timeline for school counselor associates to just 36 days, according to its statement on Thursday.

Classroom checks

Currently, the DepEd noted that 5,445 out of 10,000 positions for authorized school counselor associates have already been filled nationwide.

It added that it will conduct “structured classroom checks” during homeroom guidance sessions to monitor potential learner distress and safety concerns, ensuring that risks are detected early.

Angara also stressed the importance of the parents’ involvement in protecting learners against harmful online influences, noting that “curbing school violence and protecting learner well-being requires shared community responsibility.”

“The safety of our students is not just a discussion for DepEd, it is the responsibility of the whole community,” he said.

“By connecting our guidance counselors, our trained and vigilant youth, and our entire community, we are building a true safety net for every Filipino youth,” he said.