MANILA, Philippines — Three weeks into the monthlong enrollment period, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday announced that around 13.7 million learners nationwide have already enrolled for the upcoming school year.
In a televised public briefing, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said a total of 13,752,109 students have so far registered in public and private schools for school year 2020-2021.
“Ito kalahati na ito ng ineexpect nating mag-eenroll for this year (This already half of the expected student population for the school year),” Briones said.
The upcoming school year will start on August 24 with schools adopting various learning delivery options such as distance or online learning, and homeschooling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the first two weeks of enrollment period this June, DepEd has enforced remote enrollment which has been done mainly through remote means, such as text messaging or via social media.
To aid remote registration, DepEd also launched a “dropbox system of enrollment” beginning June 16.
The DepEd earlier said a decline in enrollment is certain as some parents might not be able to facilitate learning at home and some don’t have access to technology and the internet. Remote enrollment will end on June 30.