It is in line with the department’s action to address mental health and overall well-being of its staff.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, noted that all teaching and non-teaching personnel have been given up to five days of wellness leave per year.
Under the guidelines in accordance with Civil Service Commission (CSC) Memorandum Circular No. 01, s. 2026, wellness leave covers all qualified officers and employees of the DepEd.
It also covers those in permanent, temporary, casual, contractual, coterminous, substitute, provisional positions, and the Contract of Service and Job Order personnel directly contracted by the department.
Wellness leave is also considered separate from existing vacation and sick leave benefits. This can be used for mental health care, physical wellness activities, or simply to recuperate from work.
Personnel may also use the leave continuously for up to three days at a time, or intermittently throughout the year—depending on their needs and in accordance with approval procedures, added the department.
Applications for a wellness leave must be submitted at least five days prior to use, except in emergency situations and will not be accumulated or converted into cash if not used within the year.
Any mental health-related information disclosed during the application process for the leave sball then be treated as confidential and will be handled in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
According to Angara, this policy concrete demonstration of DepEd’s commitment to safeguarding their well-being, as well as promote mental health throughout the public sector.
He said, “Kinikilala natin na ang kanilang kalusugan, lalo na ang mental health, ay mahalaga sa patuloy nilang paglilingkod sa ating mga mag-aaral.”
The education chief also said that this initiative is in line with national policies that promote workplace mental health and aims to strengthen employee resilience while ensuring the continuous delivery of quality education.