‘High turnout’ of learners noted in first day of classes in GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY--The Department of Education (DepEd) here reported a “high turnout” of learners during the opening of regular classes on Monday in local public schools.   

Dr. Mario Bermudez, assistant head of DepEd city division, said Tuesday their monitoring showed that majority of the leaners were already in school as the first day of classes started in all grade levels.

The agency earlier projected an enrolment of around 200,000 for this school year in elementary, junior and senior high schools.

“About 70 percent of the learners were already in their classrooms and the figures were even higher in some of our schools,” he said in an interview over radio station Brigada News FM.

In particular, Bermudez cited the attendance turnout at the General Santos City National High School (GSCNHS) that reached about 90 percent of its estimated 11,000 population.

GSCNHS, which is located in Barangay Calumpang, is the city’s flagship school and one of the biggest in Region 12 in terms of enrolment.

The official visited the school on Monday morning to personally check the attendance of learners and the compliance of teachers to DepEd’s “Day 1, Lesson 1” policy.

Bermudez said all classes at the GSCNHS have started with their first lessons and activities.

He said their office received the same feedback for the other schools within the city’s 26 barangays.

“This only shows that our advocacy for all classes to start at the first hour of the opening day was very effective,” he said.

Bermudez said they had instructed school principals to check the lesson plans of their teachers before the start of the first period.

At the GSCNHS, mock classes were conducted last week to ensure that its teachers are already prepared by the opening day.

Overall, the official said the opening of classes in the city was smooth and orderly and did not encounter any major problem. (PNA)