Despite the lower enrollment turnout compared to last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) remains optimistic it will be able to surpass the adjusted target number of enrollees before classes formally start in August.
According to DepEd, they are targeting at least 80 % of last year's enrollees pegged at 27.7 million.
To date, there are already 21,344,915 enrollees in public and private schools.
DepEd is anticipating the numbers will still “increase in the coming weeks” citing lag in data collection particularly from private schools, some of which start classes later than usual.
“Their enrollment period does not necessarily coincide with the enrollment period of DepEd,” the agency reasoned.
DepEd also noted data on homeschooled students are “not yet in.”
For DepEd, the enrollment numbers are “encouraging” given the challenges posed by the economic impact of COVID-19.
To accommodate more students, DepEd reiterated schools should allow late enrollees as stated in Sec V.D of Department Order No. 003, s.2018.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) Managing Director Atty. Joseph Noel Estrada told the Manila Bulletin, “We certainly hope that the enrolment numbers would improve in the coming weeks because we are way below the total number of learners in the private basic education schools."