Section 2Sec./Art. 2

Declaration of Policy and Objectives. - The State recognizes the vital role of children and the youth in nation-building and shall foster and protect their holistic well-being. The State also affirms its policy to promote mental health and well-being in educational institutions.

To this end, the State shall ensure that learners and personnel receive the necessary support that addresses both their academic performance and overall well-being to facilitate the fulfillment of their aspirations.

In pursuit of such policy, the State shall aim to achieve the following main objective under this Act:

(a) Strengthen the implementation of the existing mental health and guidance and counseling program and other health and wellness activities, including sports-related programs, through the development of an effective and efficient school-based mental health program, to promote and ensure the mental health and well-being of all learners, as well as provide mental health awareness and literacy programs and appropriate mental health-related referrals to the teaching and non-teaching personnel, in all public and private basic education schools in the country;

(b) Establish and maintain a Care Center as defined in Section 7 of this Act in every public basic education institution, and ensure their establishment and maintenance in private basic education institutions, to be operated by competent personnel, equipped with the necessary facilities, and supported with the required resources;

(c) Establish a Mental Health and Well-Being Office as defined under Section 5 of this Act, in every Schools Division Office (SDO), under the administration and supervision of the Department of Education (DepEd), to address the mental health and well-being of all learners and personnel of the DepEd under the jurisdiction of the SDO; and

(d) Hire, deploy, and capacitate competent personnel whose duties and responsibilities shall be geared towards promoting and ensuring the mental health ad well-being of all learners, and promote their professional growth and career progression by prescribing the creation of new platilla positions of Schools Division Counselors, School Counselors, and School Counselor Associates in the DepEd.