DepEd opens action center to assist enrolees

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday opened an action center to assist enrolees and handle complaints as part of efforts to ensure a smooth opening of new school year 2011-12 in June.

The DepEd said the Oplan Balik Eskwela’s Information and Action Center (IAC) will provide information and handle complaints from May 30 to June 10 at the DepEd central office.

The DepEd added that local IACs will also set up hotlines to receive calls, text and fax messages, and e-mails on complaints, requests and suggestions and a help desk to accommodate walk-in concerns.

“This project will ensure smooth opening of classes so that the schoolchildren are properly
enroled and all schoolchildren are in school on June 6, the first day of school year 2011-
12,” DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro said.

DepEd said it is encouraging active involvement in its different field offices. Regional directors and division superintendents have been asked to have their own command centers to ensure the smooth opening of classes and to encourage parents to bring school-aged children to public schools.

“We are urging our local counterparts to do a massive door-to-door campaign at least one week before the school opening. We also seek partnerships with local government units, private individuals and groups and non-government organizations. These efforts will surely achieve a significant increase in the number of enrolees this coming school year,” Luistro said.—Danica Hermogenes