Mark Villar bill seeks programs for teachers’ mental health; cites heavy work load

Senator Mark Villar files Senate Bill No. 2258 which aims to establish programs for teachers' mental health.

KEEP THEM BUSY—AND SAFE A kindergarten teacher conducts a coloring activity for her class at Pinyahan Elementary School, Quezon City, on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, as most public schools nationwide resume in-person classes, five days a week, to comply with a Department of Education order in July. INQUIRER/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Teachers,  although often seen as heroes because of their “indispensable contribution to life and to the well-being of the youth,” can also be victims.

They can suffer “trauma, mental and emotional fatigue that they usually keep to themselves,”possibly harming their mental health, according to  Senator  Mark Villar when he filed Senate Bill No.  2258, known as “The Teacher Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2023.”

He said his bill aims to strengthen the promotion and delivery of mental health services for teachers.

“Teachers’ mental health may be impacted by [various] variables, including a heavy workload, long hours, and large class sizes. These constant stresses might have an adverse effect on one’s physical and emotional well-being,” Villar pointed out in the bill’s Explanatory Note.

He also noted  the “lack of assistance from coworkers and support from the administration in recognizing the mental health of the teacher, which makes it more difficult for them to seek help and to ease their sufferings.”

READ: Educators confront mental health problems amid pandemic

The senator then proposed in the bill that the Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with the Department of Health and the Philippine Mental Health Association, should establish and promote the following programs and services for the welfare and well-being  of teachers:

The proposed measure likewise tasks concerned agencies to yearly monitoring and evaluation of the said programs and services for teachers.

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