DepEd to welcome some 29-M learners on 2018-2019 school opening

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that the Department of Education (DepEd) is welcoming around 29 million of learners when the school year (SY) 2018-2019 opens in June.

Briones, in a phone interview with the Manila Bulletin, said around 29-million learners – from both public and private elementary and secondary schools nationwide – are expected to troop back to the schools when the new school year opens. “We are also expecting around 1.5 million SHS [Senior High School] students,” she said.

While it has yet to release its official school calendar for SY 2018-2019, DepEd said the opening of classes in public schools nationwide is scheduled on the first week of June, which falls on June 4 this year. As per DepEd, school opening in private schools can be rescheduled given that it will not be set later than August 4.

In an effort to ensure that there will be less congestion in public schools, Briones said DepEd is working overtime to monitor the construction of classrooms. “We are rushing the completion of classrooms in time for school opening in June,” she said.

Briones said that in preparation for the school opening, DepEd will once again hold “Brigada Eskwela” this month.

Briones, in DepEd Memorandum 66 series of 2018, said the 2018 “Brigada” is scheduled from May 28 to June 2. Anchored on the theme, “Pagkakaisa Para sa Handa, Ligtas, at Matatag na Paaralan Tungo sa Magandang Kinabukasan,” Briones enjoined all education stakeholders to participate and contribute their time, effort and resources to make public school facilities ready for learners’ use when the School Year (SY) 2018-2019 opens.

Also known as the National Schools Maintenance Week, the “Brigada Eskwela” is an annual cleanup effort initiated by the DepEd. “It aims to bring together all education stakeholders to participate and contribute their time, effort and resources to prepare public school facilities for the opening of the school year in June,” she explained.

Briones said the national kick-off of the program shall be held on May 24 at a public school in General Santos City with Region 12 as the host. Meanwhile, regional offices (ROs) and schools division offices (SDOs) will also hold a kickoff ceremony to launch the “Brigada Eskwela” in their respective areas on May 28.

All regional directors (RDs) and schools division superintendents (SDSs) were directed to mobilize their partnerships focal persons who are the Adopt-a-School Program or Brigada Eskwela coordinators “to ensure the effective implementation of “Brigada Eskwela” in all public elementary and secondary schools” as well as to “ensure the involvement of the community and local stakeholders.” School heads, Briones stressed, are expected to “take the lead in planning the said activities.”

In SY 2017-2018, DepEd data showed that the projected enrolment was 26, 969, 816. Of this number, 22, 891, 329 were expected to enroll in public kinder, elementary, Junior High School (JHS) and SHS while 4, 078, 487 will be in private schools.

Of the expected number of enrollees last school year, DepEd said 2.1 million were in kinder; 14.4M were in elementary; 7.6M in JHS; and 2.8M in SHS. DepEd also noted that an estimated enrollment in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) – which is projected at 0.8 million.

source: MANILA BULLETIN