There are more than 300,000 students from private schools who transferred to public schools, an official of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said.

Citing DepEd data as of July 15, DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said that thousands of learners have moved from private schools and State Colleges and Universities (SUCs)/Local Colleges and Universities (LUCs) to public schools for the coming school year  2020-2021. 

“Transferees from private and SUCs/LUCs to public schools 323,524 of which 300,877 from private schools,” Mateo explained.
 
DepEd data showed that a total of 323,524 learners moved from private schools and SUCs/LUCs to public schools. Of this number, 202,345 are in elementary; 82,230 in Junior High School (JHS) and 32, 455 in Senior High School (SHS) along with 6,494 non-graded learners with disabilities.
 
Mateo said that the migration of students from private to public schools can be attributed to the economic impact of COVID-19 among families - especially those who have been sending children to private schools.
 
Based on the national enrollment data of DepEd as of July 15, of the 22.2 million enrollees from Kindergarten to Grade 12 - including Alternative Learning System (ALS) and non-graded learners with disabilities - nationwide, there are only 1, 050, 434 learners who registered in private schools. This is 24.3% of the total enrollment in private schools for SY 2019-2020.

Enrollment affected by economic downturn  
 
In May, DepEd already anticipated the possible migration of learners from private schools to public schools due to the public health situation.
 
Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that this year’s enrollment is largely influenced by the status of the economy. Since the private education sector charges tuition and other fees, many parents -- who might have lost their jobs or who are struggling to make both ends meet -- have decided to delay the registration of their children to private schools or transfer them to public schools where education is free.
 
The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) in May, also projected that the enrollment rate for private schools will drop by 50 percent amid the health crisis - wherein around two million learners are expected to leave private schools as Filipino families brace for the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
COCOPEA said that private institutions comprised 16% of the country’s total school enrollment rate in SY 2019-2021. Of the were 27 million learners last SY, four million students enrolled in private schools.