TACLOBAN CITY –– At least 842,737 students in Eastern Visayas have enrolled for the school year 2020 to 2021.
Jasmin Calzita, regional information officer of the Department of Education (DepEd), said the number was only around 64.21 percent compared to the number of enrollees in the last school year which reached around 1.31 million.
The last day of enrollment is on July 15.
Calzita said they have not set any target for the number of enrollees but encouraged parents to enroll their children for this school year, which will introduce a blended learning system due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“We don’t have a quota for enrollment. What we want is to accommodate all the learners who are interested to enroll for the school year 2020-2021. We would be happy if all would be enrolled. We need to continue to provide basic education even amid a pandemic,” she said.
Due to the threat of COVID-19, Calzita said this year’s enrollment appeared to be “slow” compared to previous enrollments.
She said teachers are not required to visit villages within their areas to accept enrollees to protect them from COVID-19.
“We are after their safety. In our learning continuity plan, the topmost priority is the safety of our learners and teachers. That is why we are implementing distance learning through modular instruction,” Calzita said.