Career Guidance in DepEd: RA 11206, NCAE and Counselors

Every public and private secondary school must run a career guidance and counseling program that starts in Grade 7. Republic Act No. 11206, the Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act, approved on February 14, 2019, requires it and puts the school head at the head of each secondary school’s Career Guidance and Counseling Program (CGCP) Center. Its implementing rules and regulations (IRR), signed on September 2, 2025 and sent to schools with DepEd Memorandum No. 093, s. 2025, let trained teachers and other staff run career talks, fairs and orientations as career advocates. Career advocates may not counsel or assess learners, and counseling stays with licensed counselors.

Two newer rules shape the program. Republic Act No. 12080, the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, creates School Counselor and School Counselor Associate positions for public schools, and DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2026 set their qualification standards on July 22, 2026. DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, the Strengthened Senior High School (SSHS) Curriculum, has school heads keep career guidance going all year, with the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE), the Homeroom Guidance Program (HGP) and the Landas Toolkit among its tools.

The rules below are those in force on November 5, 2026.

Key findings

• RA 11206 requires a career guidance and counseling program in all public and private secondary schools from Grade 7, makes it “a prerequisite to senior high school graduation”, and puts a CGCP Center in every secondary school “to be headed by the school administrator” (Secs. 4 and 5).
• The Act gave DepEd 90 days to issue its IRR (Sec. 8). The IRR was signed on September 2, 2025, about six and a half years later, published on September 8, 2025, and disseminated by DM 093, s. 2025 on October 9, 2025. It also covers Community Learning Centers (IRR Secs. 2 and 6).
• Career advocates (trained teachers, School Counselor Associates, guidance advocates and other staff) may run career activities “excluding counseling and assessment”, under a School Counselor or the Schools Division Counselor (IRR Sec. 8). Counseling requires a license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) (Republic Act No. 9258, Sec. 27).
• DepEd Order No. 41, s. 2015, the Senior High School Career Guidance Program and Early Registration, served the Grade 10 learners of SY 2015-2016. Early registration now follows DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025.
• Grade 10 learners take the NCAE, and its SY 2026-2027 testing window runs from September 16 to December 4, 2026 (DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, Annex B). Taking it is mandatory, and its results are “recommendatory” (DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, item 29; DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 6.2).
• In the SSHS, school heads “shall ensure the continuous provision of career guidance services for learners throughout the academic year”, and the HGP gets at least one hour a week (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 27.b, Table 8 and Annex D).
• School Counselors (Salary Grade 16 to 22) and the Schools Division Counselor (SG 24) need a master’s degree in guidance and counseling or psychology and a PRC license. School Counselor Associates (SG 11 to 15) need a qualifying bachelor’s degree and second-level eligibility (DO 019, s. 2026). As of October 15, 2026, 5,445 of 10,000 associate posts had been filled (DepEd press release, October 15, 2026).

What RA 11206 requires of secondary schools

RA 11206 has 11 sections. Its working rules fit in one table.

The CGCP Center “shall function as a resource center for the implementation of the CGCP and shall be primarily responsible for providing guidance and counseling based on the CGCIM” (Sec. 5). The Act sets no penalty and creates no career guidance week.

The graduation requirement

Sec. 4 makes the program “a prerequisite to senior high school graduation”. The IRR does not repeat that line. The SSHS graduation requirements list core subjects, electives and immersion hours, and state that “completion of all prescribed subjects and hours is mandatory for the issuance of a SHS diploma” (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 26 and Tables 9 and 10). As of November 5, 2026, no DepEd issuance says how a school shows that a learner has completed the career guidance program. Until one does, the safer course is to keep a record of each learner’s career guidance (homeroom guidance outputs, the NCAE Certificate of Rating, and the career activities attended) with the learner’s school records.

What the IRR of RA 11206 adds

The IRR was “Done this 2nd day of September, 2025” and signed by Education Secretary Sonny Angara. It was published in the Daily Inquirer on September 8, 2025 (DM 093, s. 2025, item 2) and took effect “immediately after its complete publication” (IRR Sec. 19). DM 093, dated October 9, 2025, directs “All regional offices, schools division offices, and public and private schools” to implement the Act and the IRR (item 3).

The IRR applies to all public and private secondary schools “including Community Learning Centers (CLCs)” (Sec. 2). The program starts in Grade 7 in formal schools and at the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) junior high school level in the Alternative Learning System (Sec. 6).

The roles the IRR defines

Who does what in the program

The School Counselor supervises the program and is supported by a School Counselor Associate “or any available Career Advocate”. A career advocate, whether an associate or other qualified personnel, “shall lead the implementation of career advocacy activities under the supervision of the School Counselor” (IRR Sec. 8). The same section sets the limit:

Career advocates, as defined in Section 5 of this IRR, are allowed to conduct career advocacy activities, excluding counseling and assessment, to secondary level learners of the school where they are currently employed.

Advocates must take “quality assured training programs developed and delivered through the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP), or other accredited training centers”, and their activities are supervised by the School Counselor or the Schools Division Counselor (Sec. 8). The IRR sets no number of training hours.

Sec. 5(d) lists what career advocacy covers: career talks, career and job fairs, parents’ orientation, seminar-workshops on career decision-making, and virtual fairs. Its list also mentions counseling, but Sec. 8 is the rule on what advocates themselves may do, and it excludes counseling and assessment.

The CGCP Center and the school head

Sec. 12 repeats the Act: CGCP Centers are “headed by the school administrator or school head who shall be assisted by trained career and employment guidance counselors”. The school head “may delegate his functions as head of the CGCP Centers to SCs and SDCs”, that is, to a School Counselor or the Schools Division Counselor. The IRR names no one else. A CGCP Center may also serve as the school’s Care Center under RA 12080 (Sec. 12).

Partner agencies

Sec. 13 gives other agencies duties a school head can draw on for career talks, fairs and labor market information.

What DepEd has yet to issue

The IRR leaves the substance of the program to later issuances: a general framework for its components (Sec. 7); guidelines on the components, the roles of each governance level and the CGCIM’s contents (Sec. 6); the CGCIM itself, which “must be delivered before the implementation of the program” (Sec. 9); and an examiner’s handbook and an interpretation manual for the NCAE (Sec. 10). As of November 5, 2026, DepEd has issued none of them. The IRR sets no deadline for them, no reports from schools and no penalties; it promises “an annual monitoring and evaluation” of the program (Sec. 11).

Is DO 41, s. 2015 still in force?

DO 41, s. 2015, dated August 28, 2015, prepared the first senior high school intake. It required schools to run a Career Guidance Program for Grade 10 learners in SY 2015-2016, before they registered for Grade 11 in SY 2016-2017 (Encl. items 4 to 6).

As of November 5, 2026, no DepEd order has repealed DO 41, s. 2015 by name, but it has run its course. Every date in it fell in SY 2015-2016, and its four tracks (Academic, TVL, Sports, and Arts and Design) have given way to the SSHS’s Academic and Technical-Professional (Tech-Pro) tracks. Early registration now follows DO 017, s. 2025, the Revised Basic Education Enrollment Policy, which holds it “from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February of each year or in a schedule determined by the Department” (Sec. V). For SY 2027-2028, DO 009, s. 2026 sets it from January 30 to February 26, 2027 (Annex B).

What lasts is DO 41’s pattern: career guidance delivered by class advisers in homeroom guidance, with parents taking part in the choice. The SSHS order and the Landas memorandum keep both.

Career guidance in junior high school

The program starts in Grade 7 (RA 11206, Sec. 4). In junior high school it runs through these channels:

• Homeroom guidance. The HGP “shall address the academic, personal/social and career needs of the students”, and the subject “is handled by a class adviser” (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, items 71 and 72). Under the MATATAG Curriculum, “the time allotment for the Homeroom Guidance Program shall not be less than 45 minutes per week” (DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2024, item 2). The HGP sits inside the adviser’s load: class advising counts as five hours a week, and “Included in the five (5) hours is the prescribed time for the Homeroom Guidance Program (HGP)” (DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, Sec. V.A.1, item 2).
• The NCAE in Grade 10, covered in its own section below.
• Career guidance as a co-curricular program. DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024 lists the “Career Guidance Program” among the co-curricular programs that support the MATATAG Curriculum in secondary schools. Under the three-term calendar, “School-based co-curricular activities shall be conducted only after class hours during the Instructional Block” (DO 009, s. 2026, Annex A), and the End-of-Term Block between terms is set aside in part for the “conduct of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities” (item 8.b; Annex A, Table 10). DO 009 does not name career guidance, so the rule comes from reading the two orders together: a school career fair or career talk goes after class hours or in the End-of-Term Block, while HGP sessions stay in the class program.

The calendar for SY 2024-2025 had schools hold career guidance activities “within the first or second quarter of the SY” (DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2024, item 23). DO 009, s. 2026 repealed the SY 2025-2026 calendar in full (item 41) and sets no date for career guidance activities in SY 2026-2027.

Career guidance in the Strengthened SHS

DO 017, s. 2026 gives school heads a standing duty:

The school heads shall ensure the continuous provision of career guidance services for learners throughout the academic year. (Encl. item 27.b)

For incoming Grade 11 learners and SSHS learners who need help finalizing their electives or adjusting them, schools “are encouraged to utilize” these tools (Encl. item 27.b):

1. NCAE results or other career assessment tools;
2. learner interest inventories and aptitude tests;
3. career clinics, symposia and parent-teacher conferences on career pathways;
4. the Landas Toolkit and other supplementary materials; and
5. information on the offerings under the SSHS Curriculum.

The same item sets the limit: “It is not intended to prescribe or impose any specific career path. The learner’s informed choice shall be respected and prioritized.” It also names who carries the work: “School Counselors, School Counselor Associates/Career Guidance Advocates, Guidance Teachers, and Class Advisers shall play a central role in facilitating this ongoing process.”

Career guidance also shapes what the school offers. Track offerings and electives “shall be informed by consolidated learner profiles, including interests, aptitudes, and career inclinations”, along with school resources and consultation with the division (Encl. item 27.a). The SSHS class program gives the HGP “At least 1 hour a week” (Table 8). Work Immersion and Field Experience add workplace experience; the MATATAG and Strengthened SHS guide covers them, and Senior High School and Jobs sets out what EDCOM II found about where SHS graduates go.

The Landas Toolkit

DM-OULS-2026-006, dated January 5, 2026, describes the Landas Toolkit as “a career guidance toolkit designed to help Grades 9-12 learners make informed career decisions” (item 2). It rests on five futures thinking skills: Tanaw (imagining multiple futures), Sulyap (exploring opportunities and trends), Taya (making decisions in uncertainty), Plano (planning with purpose and intention) and Yakap (embracing change).

• Who received it. The memorandum funded printing and delivery for the public SSHS pilot schools of SY 2025-2026: ₱12,000,000 in all, at an estimated ₱3,500 per toolkit (items 3, 4 and 6.2). It gives the official digital files, for regional printing, at https://tinyurl.com/SSHS-LT (item 6.2).
• Where it is kept. In the school’s “designated Career Guidance Center, Guidance Center/Office, Care Center, or Learner Support Center” (item 7.1).
• How it is used. The school head, with the School Counselor, School Counselor Associate, career advocate or designated focal person, aligns its use with the school’s Career Guidance Program: homeroom guidance sessions led by the class adviser; “Career guidance and counseling sessions, led by the School Counselor Associate or School Counselor”; learner government, clubs and other learner organizations; and learners’ own informal use (item 7.2). The tools may be used in any order, in whole-class, small-group or one-on-one sessions (items 7.3 and 7.4).
• Reports. Schools report the toolkit’s use through the Strengthened SHS Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation System (item 8).

On who may lead counseling sessions, see Who may counsel learners below.

Where the NCAE fits

Since SY 2024-2025, the NCAE has been given to Grade 10 learners (DepEd Memorandum No. 031, s. 2024, items 1 and 2). Before then, DO 55, s. 2016 gave it in Grade 9 (Sec. 4).

For SY 2025-2026, the division offices set the testing dates within the window with the regional office (DM 108, s. 2025, item 4), and schools short of laptops or tablets could borrow them from nearby schools (item 6).

The NCAE has two parts (DM 108, s. 2025, item 2). The General Scholastic Aptitude test covers abstract, logical, mechanical, numerical, spatial and verbal reasoning (in English and Filipino) and perceptual accuracy. The Career and Occupational Roles Explorer (CORE) is an inventory of occupational interests.

Mandatory to take, advisory in result. DO 55, s. 2016 provides: “The career assessment results shall be recommendatory. No cut-off score shall be prescribed by DepEd. The career choice of the student based on his/her aptitude and occupational interest shall prevail as facilitated by the guidance counselor/guidance teacher and as guided by the trends in the labor market” (Sec. 4, item 6.2). DO 021, s. 2019 says the same: “Test taking is mandatory but test results are recommendatory” (Annex 2, item 29). The same section of DO 55 also used the results “for entry assessment to the specific Senior High School (SHS) tracks/strands” and set cut-off scores for the old STEM strand and the Sports and Arts and Design tracks (Sec. 4, item 1), and DM 031, s. 2024 repeated the entry use (item 4). DM 108, s. 2025 does not. The SSHS has no strands, and DO 017, s. 2026 sets no NCAE score for any track or elective; it names NCAE results as a career guidance tool (Encl. item 27.b).

Each learner receives a Certificate of Rating (DO 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 2), and “original copies of the COR must be given to the learners” (Sec. 14). “These results should not be used to rank schools and schools divisions” (Sec. 14).

Who may counsel learners

Counseling is a licensed profession. RA 9258, the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, provides that “No person shall (a) engage in the practice of guidance and counseling without a valid Certificate of Registration and the valid Professional Identification Card or a special permit” (Sec. 27). A guidance counselor is a person registered by the Professional Regulatory Board of Guidance and Counseling and the PRC (Sec. 3(b)).

Two later laws make one exception, for career advocacy in secondary schools. Republic Act No. 10533, Sec. 9, and RA 11206, Sec. 5, let career and employment guidance counselors who are not licensed run career advocacy activities for learners of their own school after DepEd training, “notwithstanding the provisions of Section 27” of RA 9258. The IRR of RA 11206 then bars career advocates from counseling and assessment (Sec. 8; see Who does what in the program).

RA 12080, approved on December 6, 2024, keeps counseling with licensed staff. A school’s Care Center shall “Render counseling when the Center has a School Counselor or facilitate referral to the Schools Division Counselor for counseling when it only has School Counselor Associates” (Sec. 8(b)). Associates are “subject to the conditions of professional practice under Sections 27 and 28 of Republic Act No. 9258” (Sec. 7). The IRR of RA 12080, disseminated by DepEd Memorandum No. 077, s. 2025, defines counseling as an interaction “between the registered/licensed counselor and the counselee/s” (Sec. 4(d)).

Guidance work in learner protection. DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, on a safe and motivating learning environment, has the Child Protection Committee, “through registered guidance counselors, learner formation officers, or school heads”, accomplish the Initial Risk Assessment Form when a learner rights and protection incident is probable, and its records are “maintained solely by the Registered Guidance Counselor or the designated CPC personnel” (Secs. VII.A.1 and VII.A.2). Among school duties it lists: “Encourage guidance counselors and designates to facilitate classroom sessions and activities on conflict resolution, peer mediation, and constructive communication as needed” (Sec. VI.B.7).

Teachers as interim staff. Until the School Counselor and associate positions are filled, “the DepEd may assign teachers to deliver school-based mental health services supervised by the School Counselor in the school, if available, or by the Schools Division Counselor”, after capacity-building and with honoraria under guidelines of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (RA 12080, Sec. 10). The IRR adds that they remain “subject to the conditions of professional practice set forth under relevant laws and regulations” (IRR of RA 12080, Sec. 16). Sec. 10 gives this power to DepEd and sets no role for the school head.

The Landas memorandum’s wording. DM-OULS-2026-006 lists “Career guidance and counseling sessions, led by the School Counselor Associate or School Counselor” among the toolkit’s uses (item 7.2.b). A memorandum does not widen what a law allows. An associate who is not licensed may not counsel (RA 12080, Sec. 7; RA 9258, Sec. 27). In a school without a School Counselor, counseling cases go to the Schools Division Counselor (RA 12080, Sec. 8(b)), and career advocates may not counsel at all (IRR of RA 11206, Sec. 8). An associate can lead career guidance sessions with the toolkit; counseling stays with a licensed counselor.

The new school counselor positions and their qualification standards

RA 12080 sets up two offices. Each Schools Division Office gets a Mental Health and Well-Being Office (MHWO), and “It shall be headed by a Schools Division Counselor with Salary Grade 24” who is a Registered Guidance Counselor or a Registered Psychologist (Sec. 5). Every public school gets a Care Center, and “The Center shall be headed by a School Counselor who shall be under the direct supervision of the Schools Division Counselor”, assisted by a School Counselor Associate (Sec. 7). Secondary schools may use their CGCP Centers as Care Centers, and existing guidance offices become Care Centers (Sec. 7) once they meet minimum standards that the DepEd Central Office will set (IRR of RA 12080, Sec. 9). The IRR of RA 12080 took effect on March 21, 2025 (DM 077, s. 2025, item 2).

DO 019, s. 2026 adopts the qualification standards that the Civil Service Commission approved in CSC Resolution No. 2600920 of June 30, 2026.

Experience and training for School Counselors are in delivering guidance and counseling services, career development programs, or mental health and well-being programs; for associates, in supporting them. Source: DO 019, s. 2026, CSC Resolution No. 2600920.

Education and eligibility.

• School Counselor I to IV and Schools Division Counselor: a “Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling; or Master’s degree in Psychology”, and eligibility under “RA 1080, as amended (Guidance Counselor or Psychologist)”, which means a PRC license. Those licensed under the grandfather clauses of RA 9258 (Sec. 14) and the Philippine Psychology Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 10029, Sec. 16) “shall be considered as having met the Master’s degree education requirement”.
• School Counselor Associate I to V: a bachelor’s degree in guidance and counseling or psychology; or any bachelor’s degree with at least 18 units in guidance and counseling or psychology; or any related bachelor’s degree with at least 18 units of behavioral science courses that include 200 hours of supervised practicum or internship in guidance and counseling. The eligibility is “Career Service Professional/ Second Level Eligibility”. No PRC license is required.

How the positions are filled. All ten are “classified as related-teaching positions across all governance levels of DepEd”, and appointments follow the recruitment rules for related-teaching positions in DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Enclosure No. 4 (DO 019, s. 2026, items 4 and 5). DepEd offices publish the positions once the DBM creates the items and issues the Notices of Organization, Staffing, and Compensation Action (item 7). Deployment of School Counselors and associates, and the details of the MHWO, are left to “separate issuances” (item 8). The teachers’ Expanded Career Progression system does not cover School Counselors and associates (DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025, item 7).

Present guidance staff. The positions of Guidance Counselor, Guidance Coordinator and Guidance Services Specialist “shall be converted or reclassified, or both, to the pertinent newly created positions” (RA 12080, Sec. 9). DO 019 requires that “All appointments, including promotion, reclassification, and retitling of covered positions, shall strictly adhere to the CSC-approved QS” (item 6). It sets no other transition rule.

Reporting lines. An associate reports to the School Counselor and the school head; a School Counselor reports to the school head and the Schools Division Counselor; the Schools Division Counselor reports to the Schools Division Superintendent and the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent (DO 019, s. 2026, Annex B). The Schools Division Counselor gives “input and recommendations to School Heads to inform the performance assessment” of School Counselors and associates (Annex B).

Hiring so far. DepEd reported that the DBM created 10,000 School Counselor Associate I items on July 15, 2026, that schools with recorded bullying cases or high mental health needs come first in deployment, and that DepEd had asked for 5,000 more associate items, mostly by converting vacant guidance-related items (DepEd press release, August 27, 2026). As of October 15, 2026, 5,445 of the 10,000 positions had been filled (DepEd press release, October 15, 2026). To grow the number of licensed counselors, DepEd and CHED opened 870 graduate scholarship slots for AY 2026-2027, worth ₱182.055 million, under the Learning Initiatives for Nurturing Guidance Associates and Counselors (LINGAP) Program; the first 230 scholars must take the licensure examination and serve in public schools after their studies (DepEd press release, October 13, 2026).

No ratio in law. RA 12080, its IRR and DO 019 set no number of counselors per learner. The IRR says a school is not limited to one School Counselor and one associate, and that DepEd “shall endeavor to ensure that schools have adequate school counselors and school counselor associates in line with evidence-based learners-to-mental health professional ratios” (IRR of RA 12080, Sec. 11). The figure of one counselor for every 250 students comes from EDCOM II, not from the law; see the RA 12080 and EDCOM II guide. In SY 2023-2024, only 3.3% of public schools reported any guidance position (school counselors, nurses and librarians data).

What this means for school heads

1. Name the CGCP Center. In a secondary school, the school head heads it (RA 11206, Sec. 5). The same office can be the guidance office or Care Center. The IRR provides for delegating the headship to a School Counselor or the Schools Division Counselor and names no one else, so where neither is available, the safer course is to keep it (IRR of RA 11206, Sec. 12).
2. Map who does what. List the school’s licensed counselor, if any, its associates, its trained career advocates and its class advisers, and match each to the table above. Set the referral route for counseling: the School Counselor, or the Schools Division Counselor where the school has none.
3. Designate in writing. A teacher assigned to guidance work holds the “Guidance and Advocacy” coordinator assignment by your designation order, with the teacher’s concurrence, on a list the school sends to the Schools Division Superintendent for approval. Prioritize teachers with less than six hours of teaching load, and include the developmental programs in the School Improvement Plan (DO 005, s. 2024, Sec. V.A.4). The teacher loading toolkit covers the load rules, and PPSSH Domain 2 the staffing indicators.
4. Train the advocates. Send career advocates to NEAP or other accredited training before they run activities (IRR of RA 11206, Sec. 8).
5. Schedule it. Put the HGP in every class program: at least 45 minutes a week in Grades 7 to 10 and at least one hour in the SSHS. Plan the NCAE within the testing window, and hold career fairs and talks outside class time, as Career guidance in junior high school sets out (DO 012, s. 2024; DO 017, s. 2026, Annex D; DO 009, s. 2026, Annex A).
6. Use the NCAE to guide, not to sort. Give each learner the original Certificate of Rating, discuss the results with learners and parents, and never use them to rank schools or to place learners in a track (DO 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 6.2 and Sec. 14; DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 27.b).
7. Keep it going in the SSHS. Offer the tools DO 017, s. 2026 lists all year, let learner profiles inform your elective offerings, and respect each learner’s choice (Encl. items 27.a and 27.b). A pilot school using the Landas Toolkit reports its use through the SSHS monitoring system (DM-OULS-2026-006, item 8).
8. Bring in partners. The Public Employment Service Office, TESDA, CHED, the PRC and the other agencies in IRR Sec. 13 supply speakers, job fairs and labor market information. PPSSH Domain 5 covers community engagement, and PPSSH Domain 3 the career awareness strand (3.7).
9. Keep records. Keep a career guidance record for each learner, given the Act’s graduation requirement. Keep counseling records confidential: RA 12080 allows disclosure only for a clear and imminent risk of harm, a legal obligation, or the consent of the learner, parent or legal guardian (Sec. 14).

A school head may not:

• let anyone without a PRC license counsel learners (RA 9258, Sec. 27);
• place learners in a track or elective by NCAE score, or require them to follow their results (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 27.b; DO 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 6.2); or
• designate a School Counselor, associate or guidance advocate as the Learner Formation Officer: “The School Counselor, School Counselor Associate, guidance advocate, or any other non-teaching personnel shall not be designated as LFO” (DepEd Memorandum No. 055, s. 2026, item II.h).

How the NASH may test this

The items below are original practice items, scored 3 (Relational), 2 (Multistructural), 1 (Unistructural) or 0 (Prestructural). An option that breaks a rule scores 0.

Question 1

Indicator 3.7.2, Career awareness and opportunities. Career Stage 2, Situational, Moderate.

You are the school head of an integrated secondary school in a farming town. The school has no School Counselor yet; a newly appointed School Counselor Associate and two teachers trained as career advocates handle guidance work. Your Grade 10 learners have just received their career assessment results. Several parents ask the school to place each learner in the senior high school track the results point to, but some of the learners want a different track. What should you do?

• A. Place each learner in the track the results indicate, and ask the associate to counsel the learners who object so that they understand the school’s placement.
• B. Hold a career fair before early registration, and invite colleges, TESDA training providers and employers from the town to meet the learners and their parents there.
• C. Have the advisers explain the results in homeroom guidance sessions, and let the trained advocates run career talks on each track that the school offers.
• D. Tell parents the results guide but do not decide, use them with each learner’s interests in guidance sessions, and refer counseling cases to the division counselor.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: D. Points: A = 0, B = 1, C = 2, D = 3.

• A (0 points, Prestructural). It imposes a track, which the rules forbid, and it has an associate counsel learners in a school without a School Counselor.
• B (1 point, Unistructural). A career fair is a proper career advocacy activity, but it is a single event and does not answer the parents’ request or the learners’ disagreement.
• C (2 points, Multistructural). It uses advisers and advocates for the work each may do, but it leaves the parents’ request unanswered and makes no provision for learners who need counseling.
• D (3 points, Relational). It treats the results as a guide, keeps the learner’s choice at the center, and sends counseling to a licensed counselor because the school has none.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 3.7.2 asks the school head to ensure that career awareness is built into learning experiences. DO 017, s. 2026 lists NCAE results as a career guidance tool and states that guidance “is not intended to prescribe or impose any specific career path” and that “The learner’s informed choice shall be respected and prioritized” (Encl. item 27.b). DO 55, s. 2016 makes the results “recommendatory” (Sec. 4, item 6.2). Under RA 12080, a Care Center with only associates refers learners for counseling to the Schools Division Counselor (Sec. 8(b)), and career advocates may not counsel (IRR of RA 11206, Sec. 8). The 2-point option assigns the work correctly but does not connect the results to the learner’s choice or provide for counseling.

Indicator 3.7.2: Ensure integration of career awareness and opportunities in the provision of learning experiences aligned with the curriculum.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 27.b; DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 6.2; Republic Act No. 12080, Sec. 8(b); IRR of Republic Act No. 11206, Sec. 8.

Question 2

Indicator 2.4.1, Management of staff. Career Stage 1, Conceptual, Moderate.

A public secondary school has no licensed guidance counselor. Under the rules on career guidance in secondary schools, which statement best describes what a teacher who has been trained and designated as a career advocate may do for learners?

• A. Lead career talks, fairs and orientations for learners of the school under the division counselor’s supervision, without counseling learners or administering assessments.
• B. Counsel learners one-on-one about their track choices and personal concerns, provided the school head has issued a designation order and the advocate has been fully trained.
• C. Run career talks, job fairs and parent orientations for learners of the school once the advocate has finished the training that DepEd requires of advocates.
• D. Share printed career materials from colleges, TESDA and employers during homeroom, since an advocate’s role is to pass on what partner agencies provide to the school.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: A. Points: A = 3, B = 0, C = 2, D = 1.

• A (3 points, Relational). It joins what advocates may do with the two conditions on it: supervision by a School Counselor or the Schools Division Counselor, and no counseling or assessment.
• B (0 points, Prestructural). It has an unlicensed teacher practice guidance and counseling, which RA 9258 prohibits; neither training nor a designation order is a license.
• C (2 points, Multistructural). It names the right activities and the training requirement, but it leaves out supervision and the limit on counseling and assessment.
• D (1 point, Unistructural). Sharing career information is part of career advocacy, but advocates may also lead career talks, fairs and orientations, so this reads their role too narrowly.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 2.4.1 asks for knowledge of the laws and issuances on managing school staff. The IRR of RA 11206 allows career advocates “to conduct career advocacy activities, excluding counseling and assessment”, after NEAP or accredited training, with their activities “supervised by the School Counselor or School Division Counselor” (Sec. 8). RA 9258 bars anyone without a license from practicing guidance and counseling (Sec. 27). The 2-point option has the activities and the training but not the supervision or the limit.

Indicator 2.4.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of laws, policies, guidelines and issuances on managing school staff.

Sources: IRR of Republic Act No. 11206 (DepEd Memorandum No. 093, s. 2025), Secs. 5(c), 5(d) and 8; Republic Act No. 9258, Sec. 27; Republic Act No. 11206, Sec. 5.

Nothing in this guide reproduces or predicts examination content.

Frequently asked questions

Is career guidance required in junior high school?

Yes. RA 11206 requires the career guidance and counseling program in all public and private secondary schools, and it “shall commence at the Grade 7 level” (Sec. 4). The IRR applies the same start to the junior high school level of the Alternative Learning System (Sec. 6). In practice it runs through homeroom guidance, career activities and the Grade 10 NCAE.

Can a teacher be a guidance counselor in a DepEd school?

Only a teacher who holds a PRC license as a guidance counselor or psychologist can counsel learners (RA 9258, Sec. 27; RA 12080, Secs. 3(f) and 7). A trained teacher may serve as a career advocate and run career talks, fairs and orientations, but may not counsel or assess learners (IRR of RA 11206, Sec. 8). To hold a School Counselor position, a teacher also needs a master’s degree in guidance and counseling or psychology, unless licensed under a grandfather clause (DO 019, s. 2026).

Does the NCAE decide a learner’s senior high school track?

No. Taking the NCAE is mandatory (DO 021, s. 2019, Annex 2, item 29), but “The career assessment results shall be recommendatory” and “No cut-off score shall be prescribed by DepEd” (DO 55, s. 2016, Sec. 4, item 6.2). Under the SSHS, NCAE results are one tool for guidance, and the learner’s informed choice “shall be respected and prioritized” (DO 017, s. 2026, Encl. item 27.b).

Is Career Guidance Week still held every last week of July?

DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2013 set a Career Guidance Week “which shall be celebrated every last week of July” (item 1), and the school calendars listed it through SY 2020-2021. The calendars from SY 2021-2022 to SY 2026-2027 do not list it, and RA 11206 and its IRR create no week. As of November 5, 2026, no DepEd order has repealed DO 25, s. 2013. A school that holds one schedules it like any co-curricular activity under DO 009, s. 2026 (see Career guidance in junior high school).

What are the qualifications of a School Counselor Associate?

A School Counselor Associate I (SG 11) needs a bachelor’s degree in guidance and counseling or psychology, any bachelor’s degree with at least 18 units in those fields, or a related bachelor’s degree with 18 units of behavioral science and 200 hours of supervised practicum in guidance and counseling. The eligibility is “Career Service Professional/ Second Level Eligibility”; no experience, training or PRC license is required (DO 019, s. 2026).

Sources

Laws

• Republic Act No. 11206, An Act Establishing a Career Guidance and Counseling Program for All Secondary Schools and Appropriating Funds Therefor (Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act), approved February 14, 2019. Secs. 4 to 8.
• Republic Act No. 12080, Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, approved December 6, 2024. Secs. 3, 5 to 10 and 14.
• Republic Act No. 9258, Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004, approved March 2, 2004. Secs. 3(b), 14 and 27.
• Republic Act No. 10533, Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, approved May 15, 2013. Sec. 9.

DepEd orders

• DepEd Order No. 019, s. 2026, Qualification Standards for Positions Created Under Republic Act No. 12080 or the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act, July 22, 2026. Items 4 to 8, CSC Resolution No. 2600920 and Annex B.
• DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum, June 4, 2026. Encl. items 26, 27.a and 27.b, Tables 8 to 10, and Annex D.
• DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education, April 16, 2026. Items 8.b and 41, Annexes A and B.
• DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment, March 24, 2026. Secs. VI.B.7 and VII.A.
• DepEd Order No. 034, s. 2025, Amendments and Clarifications to DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2025, October 14, 2025. Item 7.
• DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025, Revised Basic Education Enrollment Policy, June 13, 2025. Sec. V.
• DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2024, Amendment to DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024, September 18, 2024. Item 2.
• DepEd Order No. 010, s. 2024, Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum, July 23, 2024. Co-curricular programs for secondary education.
• DepEd Order No. 005, s. 2024, Rationalization of Teachers’ Workload in Public Schools and Payment of Teaching Overload, April 29, 2024. Secs. V.A.1 and V.A.4.
• DepEd Order No. 007, s. 2023, Guidelines on Recruitment, Selection, and Appointment in the Department of Education, March 22, 2023. Enclosure No. 4.
• DepEd Order No. 021, s. 2019, Policy Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program, August 22, 2019. Annex 2, items 29 and 70 to 72.
• DepEd Order No. 55, s. 2016, Policy Guidelines on the National Assessment of Student Learning for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, June 30, 2016. Secs. 4 and 14.
• DepEd Order No. 41, s. 2015, Senior High School Career Guidance Program and Early Registration, August 28, 2015. Encl. items 4 to 8.
• DepEd Order No. 48, s. 2015, Amendment to DepEd Order No. 41, s. 2015, October 20, 2015. Item 1.
• DepEd Order No. 25, s. 2013, Guidelines on the Conduct of Career Guidance Week for High School Students Effective School Year (SY) 2013-2014, May 24, 2013. Item 1.

DepEd memoranda

• DepEd Memorandum No. 093, s. 2025, Dissemination of Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act No. 11206 Titled An Act Establishing a Career Guidance and Counseling Program for All Secondary Schools and Appropriating Funds Therefor, October 9, 2025, with the IRR signed September 2, 2025. Items 2 and 3; IRR Secs. 2, 5 to 13 and 19.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 077, s. 2025, Dissemination of Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Republic Act No. 12080, September 18, 2025. Item 2; IRR Secs. 4(d), 9, 11 and 16.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 108, s. 2025, Administration of the Computer-Based National Career Assessment Examination for School Year 2025-2026, December 11, 2025. Items 2 to 6.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 031, s. 2024, Administration of the National Career Assessment Examination, June 18, 2024. Items 1, 2 and 4.
• DM-OULS-2026-006, Guidelines on the Production and Use of Landas Toolkit for Public Strengthened Senior High School (SSHS) Pilot Schools During SY 2025-2026, January 5, 2026. Items 2 to 8.
• DepEd Memorandum No. 055, s. 2026, Clarificatory Guidelines on the Designation of Learner Formation Officers in Schools, September 17, 2026. Item II.h.

DepEd press releases

• DepEd, target na maitalaga ang 10,000 school counselor associates bago matapos ang taon, August 27, 2026.
• DepEd at CHED, nagbigay ng scholarship sa 230 kawani para dagdag na guidance counselors, October 13, 2026.
• Angara, pinatibay ang mental health programs sa mga paaralan; bagong School Counselor Associates, itinalaga, October 15, 2026.

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: RA 11206 and its IRR (DM 093, s. 2025), RA 12080 and its IRR (DM 077, s. 2025), RA 9258, RA 10533, DO 019, s. 2026, DO 017, s. 2026, DO 009, s. 2026, DO 005, s. 2024, DO 021, s. 2019, DO 55, s. 2016, DO 41, s. 2015, DM 108, s. 2025, DM-OULS-2026-006 and DepEd press releases.