LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Around 434,000 students from the public and private schools in the different parts of the Cordillera are expected to go back to their respective schools during the opening of classes this coming Monday, June 1.
Dr. Ellen B. Donato, regional director of the Department of Education – Cordillera Administrative Region, said that they estimated the figure based from last school year’s number of enrollees from various levels aside from the data gathered by the different divisions from the early enrolment program of the agency.
There are 434,926 students enrolled in the public and private schools last school year 2014-2015, she said. As for early enrollees, the department listed a total of 306,124 students from public schools for kindergarten, elementary and secondary levels but she expects the number of enrolless to significantly increase after the opening of classes due to the expected influx of late enrolees from different schools around the region.
She said the final accounting of the number of students enrolled will be around July, once the students are settled in school.
Donato said they have been encouraging parents to enroll their kids earlier so they can be able to attend school during the June 1 opening and that they will not be able to miss the learnings during the first day of classes.
“In the past some parents wait for June 1 before they enroll their child,” Donato said adding this have caused inconvenience in the part of the school and the child as well as the disruption of classes that tend to affect the momentum of learning and teaching.
Also, she said they have been discouraging principals and teachers to take their leave of absence during the opening of classes in order to avoid initial confusions in the distribution of schedules as well as supervising and addressing problems that will crop up right at the opening of classes.
“They have to be there to meet with the students and the parents during the opening of classes, that’s where they are needed the most,” she said.
She said it has been a practice in the past that some teachers and principals would take a leave in time for the opening of classes.
But as for unavoidable circumstances, Donato said if the teacher takes a leave for 5 days, DepEd region encouraged them to have it for a month so the substitute teacher will be able to get the students settled in school and establish a better learning and teaching atmosphere for everyone concerned.
Earlier, DepEd in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Police Regional Office-Cordillera, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the various local government units have set their respective programs in preparation for the opening of classes such as the simultaneous conduct of Brigada Eskwela.
Donato said most of the major works in the schools were addressed during the conduct of the week-long Brigaga Eswela that is why regular classes will already start by June 1 although late enrolees will still be accepted for the first week of classes but it will now be up to the student to cope with what she or he missed from the lessons that were taken up at the start of classes and the days that were missed by the late enrolees.