NEW SCHOOL YEAR. Teachers of Rizal Central School (RCS) in Tacloban City check enrolment documents in this July 28, 2022 photo. At least 752,010 elementary and high school learners in Eastern Visayas have signed up for the new school year during the first two weeks of enrollment, the Department of Education reported on Tuesday (Aug. 9, 2022). (Photo courtesy of RCS)
TACLOBAN CITY – At least 752,010 elementary and high school learners in Eastern Visayas have registered for the new school year during the first two weeks of enrolment, the Department of Education reported on Tuesday.
The number represents 58 percent of the 1.29 million students from kindergarten to senior high school recorded during the academic year 2021 to 2022, said DepEd regional information officer Jazmin Calzita in a phone interview.
“All public and private schools have submitted their data for the quick count since the start of enrolment on July 25. We still have two more weeks to go before the school opening om August 22,” Calzita told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
For the upcoming school year, the education department has started conducting physical enrolment with options for a remote one, she added.
The enrolment administered in person is permitted while observing minimum health and safety standards, including wearing of face mask, temperature check upon entry, availability of disinfecting alcohol, and physical distancing to avoid the spread of the virus.
Schools can also facilitate remote enrolment by having parents/legal guardians or the learners fill out digital forms and send them through the official email address of the school or any of the available messaging platforms provided.
Meanwhile, Calzita said all schools in the region are ready for the face-to-face classes except in Southern Leyte areas badly affected by Typhoon Odette last December 2021 and in some parts of Baybay City and Abuyog, Leyte struck by a massive landslide in April this year.
According to a recent directive, there will be no inspections, tools, or any additional requirements to reopen schools and implement five days of in-person classes.
Calzita said the DepEd only prescribed the options of five days of in-person classes, blended learning modality, and full distance learning until Oct. 31 this year.
Starting Nov. 2, all public and private schools will have to transition to five days of face-to-face classes.
No school will be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning except for those implementing alternative delivery modes as provided in a department order issued in 2019. (PNA)
