TWENTY private schools in Bacolod City and 10 in Negros Occidental will be closing this school year.

Records of the Department of Education (DepEd) Bacolod City Division showed that 19 of the schools are preschools and one elementary school.

The schools cited low enrollment and their inability to adopt the Distance Learning Delivery Modalities prescribed by DepEd, Gladys Amylaine Sales, Bacolod Schools Division superintendent, said.

The request for temporary closures and the names of the schools have already been submitted to the regional office, Sales said.

A total of 88 of the 157 private schools in Bacolod have already started their classes while the remaining 49 will start on October 5.

A total of 10 private schools under the DepEd-Division of Negros Occidental have also requested for a temporary closure this school year.

Ian Arnold Arnaez, spokesperson of DepEd-Division of Negros Occidental, said the top reasons for the closures are Covid-19, low enrollment and lack of funds.

Arnaez said eight of the 10 schools have already been forwarded to the regional office while the two others have not yet submitted their papers.

Negros Occidental has a total of 141 private schools.