LEGAZPI CITY—At least 600,000 students had enrolled for the coming school year in the Bicol region despite uncertainty over how classes would be held under a so-called new normal brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayflor Marie Jumamil, information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Bicol, said as of Tuesday (June 16), at least 34,399 enrolled for kindergarten; 282,476, elementary; 209,550, junior high school and 91,371, senior high school.
At least 6,777 enrolled for alternative learning system and 3,606 for learners with disabilities.
Jumamil said the DepEd expected the number to increase as those who enrolled remotely and through drop boxes have not been counted yet.
She said the DepEd regional office had projected an enrolment of at least 1.6 million.
The last day for enrolment is on June 30.
Physical classes have been scrapped as a result of social distancing rules taken to prevent coronavirus transition.
The government is looking at holding classes online and President Rodrigo Duterte had expressed preference for keeping physical classes suspended until a vaccine is developed for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.