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Tuesday, June 10, 2003
70% hike in public high school studes due to poverty
By Christie Enriquez- Uayan
MORE parents choose to enroll their children in public high schools due to the increasing incidence of poverty, a Department of Education (DepEd) 11 official said Monday.
In fact, the DepEd 11 expects as much as 70 percent increase in public high school enrolment because of this exodus.
Guesting in Monday's Kapehan sa Dabaw, assistant chief for secondary education division Luz Onor said the tremendous increase in high school enrollees for this month was partially triggered by an increase of transferees from private to public high schools in the region.
"Mainly maa-attribute ang nangyayari sa poverty. Napakaraming tumatawag sa opisina para humingi ng tulong dahil gusto nilang ilipat ang anak nila from private to public schools, kaya lang yung iba hindi na tinatanggap," she told reporters.
A total of 264,500 students are expected to enroll in various public high schools in the region for this school year, she said.
Onor said DepEd estimated a 70 percent increase in students among public high schools this school year because of economic problems.
To give weight to the extent of the problem on the shortage of rooms, teachers, and other school fixtures, Onor said a public high school in the city is planning to implement class shifts.
Francisco Bangoy High School, located in Sasa, has more than 3,000 students, while the schools can accommodate only about 1,500. As a result, school officials are planning to conduct morning, afternoon and evening classes to cushion the impact of inadequate school facilities.
Davao City National High School (DCNHS) is likewise overpopulated, according to Onor. She said the school has more than four thousand students, sometimes reaching seven thousand. DCNHS's capacity is only about three thousand, she related.
The DepEd official added that given the inadequate budget, their office could only do so much on the prevailing shortages of teachers, rooms, chairs and other education materials.
But Onor explained that the department is doing its best to provide one book for every student in the region.
(June 10, 2003 issue)
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