PARENTS and their kids trooped to schools yesterday as enrollment for school year 2023-2024 started, more than three weeks before classes in public schools start on August 29.
The start of the enrollment period also coincided with the official launching of the Brigada Eskwela or the national schools’ maintenance week at the Tarlac National High School in Tarlac province.
The Education Department said the enrollment period will end on August 26.
Education Undersecretary and spokesperson Michael Poa said they expect an increase in the number of enrollees for the coming school year from 28.4 million students to 28.8 million.
There are currently 44,931 public schools and 12,162 private schools nationwide.
While the DepEd set the opening of classes in public schools on August 29, it said private schools may open classes on any date starting the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August.
Last May, the DepEd opened the registration for incoming kindergarten and Grades 1, 7, and 11 students in public schools.
Vice President and Education Sara Duterte said then that incoming Grades 2-6, 8-10, and 12 learners from public schools “do not need to participate in the early registration” as they are already considered as “pre-registered.”
Duterte said the Christmas break will begin on December 18, 2023 and will end on January 2, 2024, with classes resuming on January 3.
The school year break will be from June 17 to August 25, 2024.
The DepEd said private schools are still allowed to implement blended learning for the school year 2023-2024.
It said private schools may conduct three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning per week, or from Mondays to Wednesdays for face-to-face classes and Thursdays to Fridays for distance learning.
Another option is four days of in-person classes, or from Mondays to Thursdays, and Fridays will be for distance learning.
The DepEd said schools and community learning centers shall implement Blended Learning Delivery Modality (BLDM) in the event of the declaration of suspension or cancellation of in-person classes brought upon by natural or human-induced disasters, calamities, armed conflict, emergencies that endanger the lives of learners, teachers and non-teaching personnel and other disruptions to face-to-face classes.
The PNP will put up 11,000 police assistance desks (PADS) in schools throughout the country as part of security preparations for the opening of classes on August 29.
PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said mobile and beat patrols will also be conducted on roads leading to schools to ensure the safety of students, school personnel, and parents who will be accompanying their children.
“Initially, the number of police assistance desks that we are going to establish is 11,000. Apart from this, we are also going to conduct regular mobile and beat patrols,” Fajardo told a press briefing at Camp Crame.
Fajardo said the mobile and beat patrols will be conducted “particularly in areas leading to the school institutions to make sure that even outside (schools), students, teachers, other school staff and parents who will bring their children to and from schools will be safe.
“We hope we could stain the establishment of these PADS not only during the opening of classes but for the whole school year of 2023-2024
She said the PADs, manned by at least two policemen, will be established “within school campuses and clustered campuses” nationwide “as soon as classes open.”
Fajardo said the PNP will be securing schools in collaboration with “force multipliers,” among them barangay personnel.
She said police commanders are coordinating with school officials as to suggestions to better secure the students, school officials, and parents during the opening of classes.
Fajardo said the coordination is also meant to prevent the occurrence of crimes and even the proliferation of illegal drugs in the vicinity of schools.
