THE Department of Education Central Visayas (DepEd 7) has noted a 13 percent decrease in enrollment within public and private schools in the region for the school year 2020-2021.
Only 1.6 million students officially enrolled in public and private schools in the region as of July 15, 2020, whereas in the previous school year, there were 1.7 million enrollees, said DepEd 7 Director Salustiano Jimenez.
The DepEd 7 was targeting to enroll around 300,000 students in the private schools and 1.7 million in the public schools this year.
Jimenez said they even noted a decrease in the number of enrollees in private schools, with only 79,000 students or at least 25 percent who have officially enrolled this school year.
In public schools in Cebu City, only 132,000 students officially enrolled this year. The Cebu City Schools Division was targeting to enroll around 170,000 students.
But even though the official enrollment period for public schools ended on July 15, students can still enroll in their schools.
Jimenez also urged parents to immediately enroll their children so that the schools can prepare the learning materials.
Once classes start in August, public schools are expected to provide printed modules, worksheets, activity sheets, online classes and even radio and TV-based instruction as a way to promote learning to students without the need for face-to-face contact.
Jimenez also assured parents that they don’t need to buy gadgets for their children as a requirement for their classes. (HBL / JKV)