DepEd Secetary Leonor Briones (file photo)
MANILA, Philippines — A day after the opening of classes, the Department of Education (DepEd) is still expecting enrollment numbers for School Year 2021-2022 to match that of the previous school year.
During the House deliberations for the proposed 2022 budget of the DepEd, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that as of September 14, a total of 25,582,224 students have registered for the current school year.
The number is 97.5 percent of last year’s total of 26,227,022.
“We expect the numbers to grow when we get news from the schools abroad, from our Philippine schools abroad and if we take into consideration non-formal education or the Alternative Learning System, so we expect to match last year’s performance in enrolment,” Briones said.
The education department extended the enrolment in public schools to September30, 2021, in consideration of limitations and challenges to community quarantine restrictions.
“It’s a traditional practice to extend enrolment—and we are extending enrolment up to the end of the month of September—but right now, yesterday, our numbers were at 25 million,” Briones said.
A pre-school teacher holds up a white board in front of her computer as she conducts distance learning session. (INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
“This morning it’s at [25.5] million, which indicates the kind of response that parents and learners are already indicating,” she added.
Of the enrolees for this school year, public schools have the biggest chunk of registered learners at 19,411,039. Private learning facilities and state and local universities and colleges have 1,563,321 and 50,537 listed students, respectively.
Based on a separate enrolment count, 198,297 students have logged under the alternative learning system.