Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 11206 (Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act)

Title and Policy Declaration
- The Act shall be known as the "Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Act" (Section 1).
- The State recognizes the role of the youth in nation-building and social progress, and shall ensure their total development by promoting relevant education that generates human resources responsive to the needs of the government, industry, and the economy (Section 2).

Objectives
- To institutionalize a career guidance and counseling program for students in all public and private secondary schools nationwide to provide proper direction in pursuing subsequent tertiary education (Section 3a).
- To equip secondary education students with the capability to make educated career decisions and expose them to relevant labor markets (Section 3b).
- To ensure graduates of tertiary education meet the requirements of the government, industry, and the economy (Section 3c).

National Secondary School Career Guidance and Counseling Program (CGCP)
- A National Secondary Schools Career Guidance and Counseling Program (CGCP) shall be created and administered by the Department of Education (DepED) (Section 4).
- The CGCP shall be implemented in all public and private secondary education institutions and shall commence at the Grade 7 level (Section 4).
- The CGCP shall be a prerequisite to senior high school graduation (Section 4).
- DepED shall formulate, develop and review a Career Guidance and Counseling Instructional Module (CGCIM) in coordination with various agencies and organizations (Section 4).
- The CGCIM shall serve as the basic instructional material to guide secondary students in their pursuit of meaningful and rewarding tertiary education (Section 4).

CGCP Centers
- A CGCP Center shall be established in all secondary schools, headed by the school administrator and assisted by a trained career and employment guidance counselor (Section 5).
- The CGCP Center shall function as a resource center for the implementation of the CGCP and shall provide guidance and counseling based on the CGCIM (Section 5).
- Career and employment guidance counselors who are not registered with the PRC shall be allowed to conduct career advocacy activities to secondary level students, provided they undergo a training program developed and accredited by the DepED (Section 5).

National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE)
- DepED, through the National Education Testing and Research Center, shall conduct an annual National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) among students in the appropriate grade level in all public and private secondary schools nationwide (Section 6).
- The NCAE shall assess and evaluate the aptitude, skill or inclination of the student in a particular occupational field and serve as a guide for the students in choosing their respective courses or career options (Section 6).
- The DepED Secretary shall determine the content of the NCAE, the date of examination, the location of examination centers, and the appropriate grade level of examinees, and shall issue the guidelines necessary for the effective implementation of the NCAE (Section 6).
- The DepED Secretary shall review the content of the NCAE from time to time and make revisions, as may be deemed necessary (Section 6).

Appropriations and Implementing Rules and Regulations
- The DepED Secretary shall immediately include in the Department's program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act (Section 7).
- Within ninety (90) days from the approval of this Act, the DepED shall, in consultation with various agencies, promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act (Section 8).

Separability Clause and Repealing Clause
- If any provision of this Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in force and effect (Section 9).
- All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified or amended accordingly (Section 10).

Effectivity
- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation (Section 11).