House pushes career guidance, counseling for high school students

FILE: Students of Anda High School in Barangay Katipunan, Anda town,
Bohol. (PNA photo)

MANILA — The House of Representatives has approved on final reading a measure seeking to establish a career guidance and counseling program in all secondary schools nationwide to provide proper direction to students in pursuing tertiary education and making educated career decisions.

With 223 affirmative votes, the lower chamber unanimously approved House Bill 5576, also known as the proposed “Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act”.

The bill seeks to create a National Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Program starting at the Grade 7 level and shall be a prerequisite to senior high school graduation.

The Department of Education (DepEd), as lead implementer of the program, will be mandated to formulate, develop, and review a basic instructional material called the Career Guidance and Counseling Instructional Module.

Under the bill, a CGCP center shall be established in all secondary schools which shall be headed by the school administrator, assisted by a trained career and employment guidance counselor.

Career and employment guidance counselors, who are not registered with the Professional Regulation Commission, shall be allowed to conduct career advocacy activities in the school where they are currently employed, provided that they have undergone DepEd-accredited training programs.

Furthermore, the DepEd, through the National Education Testing and Research, shall conduct an annual National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) among students in the appropriate grade level in all public and private secondary schools nationwide.

The NCAE will be a tool to assess and evaluate the aptitude, skill or inclination of the student in a particular occupational field and to serve as guide for the students in choosing their respective courses or career options.

The DepEd shall determine the content of the NCAE, the date of examination, the location of examination centers, and the appropriate grade level of examinees, and shall issue the guidelines necessary for effective implementation of the Act.