By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
Just days before they scheduled the start of the public school enrollment process, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Thursday that enrollment for the coming school year will be done remotely to avoid face-to-face registration.
DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the enrollment period is scheduled from June 1 to 30. Included among those needing to enroll are those who enrolled during the early registration period in February 2020.
The first day of school has been set on August 24.
Sevilla said to help ensure the smooth and orderly conduct of the enrollment, schools will prioritize the registration of the “old” learners first.
“In the first two weeks, we will take care of the ‘old’ learners and in the last two weeks, we will entertain the new entrants and transferees.,” she said.
To address the concerns of parents and teachers on the conduct of the month-long enrollment, Sevilla said remote enrollment will be implemented in public schools. “We will follow the minimum health standards and physical distancing so no learner or parent really need to come to school come June 1.”
Regarding teachers, Sevilla said not all of them have to physically report.
“As our teachers return to work, not all of them have to go to the schools,” she said. “Those that do not have an advisory class, they will be given a different set of functions and tasks.”
Aside from the enrollment form, Sevilla said learners and their parents/guardians also need to accomplish a survey form on the student's preferred learning modality, among other questions.
“It’s an enrollment and survey form, so for the student to be enrolled it has to be filled up,” she explained. “It will also be the basis for the school to prepare which kind of learning delivery modality is fit for the learner/s,” she added.
The form will also be used to collect important information to consider for the adoption of the relevant learning delivery strategies and modalities and to further provide support to learners for the school year. To adhere to social distancing protocols, the enrolment process shall be remote, either through online or other innovative ways.
For those who do not have access to technology at all, Sevilla said the schools will partner with the local government units (LGUs) to facilitate the enrollment process.
“Our schools will work with the barangay, and the concerned parents and learners can get information from on the enrollment process from them,” she added.
Meanwhile, teachers will start rendering service on June 1. They will attend orientation and training activities on the utilization of the distance learning delivery modalities, prepare instructional materials, and plan the organization of classes in consideration of the learning delivery modalities to be employed.
If a skeleton workforce arrangement will still be the included in the operative government guidelines by June, Sevilla said DepEd shall issue the “appropriate alternative work arrangements guidelines” to those in the field to comply with prevailing policy, and to ensure a safe work environment.