DepEd-12 expects 1.4-M learners to troop back to school Monday

GENERAL SANTOS CITY--Around 1.4 million leaners or students are expected to troop to public schools in Region 12 on Monday, June 4, for the opening classes.

Dr. Arturo Bayocot, Department of Education (DepEd) Region 12 director, said Wednesday the figure was based on their enrollment target in all grade levels for this school year 2018-2019.

Bayocot said they initially enlisted around 1 million learners during the early registration on January. Enrollment is currently ongoing in all public schools within the region's nine school divisions.

"We're still looking for more students and I'm hoping that we will be able to reach out to all of them within the week," he said.

The official said they have assigned teachers to track down learners who were not yet enrolled, and even visit them in their houses if necessary.

To facilitate this, he said local schools and teachers have reference records of all learners as they progress to the next higher grade levels.

Bayocot said the initiative is part of DepEd's ongoing Oplan Balik Eskwela and the Brigada Eskwela, or the annual National Schools Maintenance Week.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones and other agency officials led on Tuesday afternoon the national kickoff of the Brigada Eskwela at the New Society National High School in Barangay Apopong here.

The activity included an exhibit of various education-related programs and projects, groundbreaking of New Society National High School's training building and a forum on DepEd's National Drug Education, Prevention and Control Program.

Bayocot said the Brigada Eskwela was given a "new face" this year as it is no longer just focused on the physical readiness of the schools.

He said the activity "now includes programs that involve the readiness of the child."

"While we're making our schools ready, how about our learners? Have we reached the unreached children? Are we sure that our enrollment is already maximized? These are questions that we also have to look into," he said. (PNA)