As the department also encouraging teachers to serve as caring “foster parents” within the school.
Following recent school shooting incidents in that have occurred within the past few months including the latest in Banga, South Cotabato last September 18, Education Secretary Sonny Angara has expressed called on parents and teachers to closely monitor the activities of students amid the recent alarming incidents.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us in DepEd, to be aware of the problem and take positive steps to address it. We acknowledge the academic gains made by our teachers, but in terms of addressing the emotional problems of our children, we still have crucial work to do,” Angara said.
While celebrating recent educational achievements—such as the country’s progress in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2025 and gains in learning recovery through the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program—
Angara reiterated that protecting students’ mental health and safety remains a top priority and noted: “Bagama’t gumanda ang ating performance sa academics, ang worldwide standing sa international rankings, medyo let’s take a step back and examine how we are relating and what kind of school communities we are building… Dahil iba na po ang pag-iisip ng ating kabataan ngayon. Kilalanin natin iyan at gumawa tayo ng paraan, sama-sama po tayo sa DepEd.”
According to Angara, aside from implementing stricter security measures in schools, the Department of Education (DepEd) is currently reviewing existing policies to encourage teachers and staff to devote more time to directly interacting with students and understanding their well-being.
While emphasizing existing restrictions on cellphone use in schools, Angara aldo noted that merely enforcing policies is insufficient to solve the problem.
Thus, he urged parents and guardians to actively guide smartphone and social media usage at home to protect children from negative online influences.
DepEd is also expanding the Kaagapay Program nationwide to equip the parent community with practical knowledge through capacity-building sessions.
This program aims to help them identify warning signs or “red flags,” manage behavioral issues, and communicate directly with school Child Protection Committees (CPCs) and guidance personnel.
At the same time, Angara also highlighted the crucial role teachers play in addressing the emotional needs of students who feel isolated or neglected.
“For those who are very susceptible to influence from whatever they see online, and those who are looking for validation from their families but perhaps do not receive it, let us give them that as their foster parents at school,” he appealed. “Ibigay natin ‘yung pagmamahal, ‘yung atensyon. Kapag may tagumpay sila, i-acknowledge natin.”
He also advised educators to implement simple yet meaningful measures, such as learning the students’ names, understanding the challenges they face in their daily lives, and regularly checking on their well-being.
“We can overcome this. But we must acknowledge there is a mental health epidemic among our youth today and we must look to the roots of this and understand it. Otherwise, I hesitate to say, more people might get hurt. So kilalanin natin iyan at gumawa tayo ng paraan. Sama-sama po tayo sa DepEd,” Angara furthered.
