Philippine schools expand a 'buddy system' so no student struggles alone

Sometimes the first person a struggling student will talk to is not a teacher — it is the classmate beside them. During National School Safety Week, the Philippines' Department of Education expanded its learner-led 'My Buddy System': structured buddy pairings and small peer groups, modelled on big brother/big sister mentoring, inside its mental-health and psychosocial support framework. Education Secretary Sonny Angara said peer facilitation gives students a safe space to open up early, backed by structured counselling, teacher check-ins and faster recruitment of School Counselor Associates to guide the groups and handle referrals.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: institutional program