The month-long early registration initiative of the Department of Education (DepEd) for School Year (SY) 2021-2022 officially started on Friday, March 26.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
“It will be similar to what we did last June 2020 where early registration done remotely,” DepEd Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development Jess Mateo told the Manila Bulletin.
Due to major changes in the school calendar for SY 2020-2021, DepEd moved the conduct of the early registration for the upcoming school year from March 26 to April 30, 2021.
“On top of the DepEd Memo on the deferment/rescheduling of early registration, we also issued a detailed instruction to the field on how to safely conduct early registration,” Mateo explained.
The month-long activity is initiated to ensure that incoming learners are registered for the School Year and help the Department better prepare for possible issues and concerns that may arise, as stipulated in DepEd Order No. 3, s. 2018, or the Basic Education Enrollment policy.
Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in the country, DepEd said a remote registration system will be in place. “Part of the instruction is giving authority to the superintendents to revert to full remote strategy depending on the risk assessment in the area,” Mateo said.
In areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), Mateo said that the early registration will be done fully remotely. In areas under Modified GCQ or in other low risk areas, limited physical or face-to-face registration may be allowed through the parents or guardians.
“The bottom-line is health and safety of school personnel and parents as well,” Mateo said.
The early registration covers all incoming Kindergarten, Grades 1, 7, and 11 in public elementary and secondary schools. They are enjoined to pre-register to allow the DepEd to make necessary preparations and incoming plans for the coming school year.
Learners in Grades 2 to 6, 8 to 10, and 12 are already “considered pre-registered” - thus, they do not need to participate in the early registration.
The conduct of early registration is mandatory for public schools while optional for private schools. However, DepEd reminded private schools that they are mandated to strictly implement the Kindergarten cut-off age under DO No. 20, s. 2018.
The early registration, DepEd said, also seeks to locate, identify and register out of school youth and children who may be identified as living with disabilities; living in an off-grid community; living in a barangay without a school; living in a geographically isolated area; displaced due to natural disaster; living in an armed conflict area; living in an area with a high level of criminality/drug abuse; having a chronic illness; having nutritional problems; a victim of child abuse or economic exploitation; stateless/undocumented; in conflict with the law; living on the streets; and no longer in school but interested in going back to school.