LAOAG CITY (PNA) – Laoag City has reached 100 percent of its enrollment target for the school year 2020-2021 with a total of 26,369 students listed online as of this month.
"Amid the global pandemic, we were able to reach our projected target at 100 percent for public schools, and 52 percent in private schools,” Laoag City Schools Division Superintendent Vilma Eda said in an interview on Tuesday.
Based on the latest consolidated report from the Planning Unit, there were 21,824 learners who enrolled in public schools and 3,722 enrolled in private schools.
Meanwhile, there were 617 students, who enlisted in state universities and colleges, and 206 in the Alternative Learning System Program (ALSP).
To minimize the risk of transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Education rolled out its remote enrollment system on June 1 where teacher-advisers were assigned to facilitate the enlistment of learners in their advisor class from the previous school year.
A drop box system of enrollment was set up in barangays and schools where parents or guardians in coordination with village officials picked up and dropped off the Learner Enrollment and Survey Form (LESF).
“Enrollment will still be extended to accommodate learners who have not yet enrolled and the submission of documentary requirements shall be deferred to December 2020,” Eda said.
In Laoag City, the Education Department is pushing for distance learning even if some parents have expressed doubts if their children were ready for it.
Aside from laptops and desktop computers, a smartphone was found to be one of the most versatile gadgets in delivering online education.
This was the general observation during the simulation of different learning modalities where the majority of the learner-participants used smartphones for online learning.