School enrollment drops in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY—As classes in more than 20 colleges here resumed on Monday, more than two months after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” leveled the capital and claimed more than 2,000 lives, the city’s biggest learning institutions have reported a decline in enrollment in the second semester compared to that of the previous semester.

Eastern Visayas State University (Evsu), considered the biggest in the region in terms of student population, had 7,668 registered students, down from more than 9,000 in the first semester, said Gerry Cadiz, director for institutional planning and development.

The storm killed 40 Evsu students, Cadiz disclosed.

The official attributed the drop in enrollment to the changes of residence and financial difficulties of the students. Evsu has satellite schools in typhoon-hit Tanauan and Dulag, and in other towns.

Leyte Normal University (LNU) reported an enrollment of 5,400 students as of Monday, although the registration deadline is on Jan. 30. The number so far was about 400 lower than that in the first semester, said Evelyn Aguirre, LNU vice president for academic affairs.

“We are still hoping to reach [a similar] number of students in the previous semester,” Aguirre said.

She said 10 LNU students and one professor were confirmed to have died due to Yolanda.

The drop in enrollment was also reported at AMA Computer Learning Center. Its director, Raquel Cecilia Chua, said enrollment reached only 836 this semester, down from 943 in the past semester.

One AMA student died during the typhoon.

In Palo town, the biggest school, St. Paul’s College, saw its enrollment decline by about 40 students from last semester’s student population of 3,800, according to its acting president, Erwin Vincent Alcala.

Unlike Evsu and LNU, AMA maintained its P1,000 entrance fee this semester, Chua said. Both Evsu and LNU decreased their entrance fees by P500 from more than P1,000 during the past semesters.

In November last year, the Commission on Higher Commission directed all state colleges and universities to extend all possible assistance to students who were affected by Yolanda, including a decrease of entrance fees, the waiving of needed school credentials and even the provision of temporary boarding houses.

Jeanette Poleño, 17, a first year education student at LNU, said she was glad  the school offered a lower entrance fee.

“It’s really a big help. We lost our house and even our source of income (a sari-sari store) due to Yolanda,” said Poleño, a resident of Barangay (village) Marketside in Dulag.

Chua said AMA understood the plight of its students but could not simply reduce its entrance fee, as it would need the approval of top executives in Manila.

The school has shortened its class schedule starting at 7:30 a.m. to only until 4:30 p.m., instead of the usual 9:30 p.m., because power has not been completely restored in Tacloban and nearby areas.

“We have to look after the security of our students,” Chua said.