Unable to sustain their operations due to the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic in the past two years, 425 private schools have decided to “permanently” close down, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, Aug. 19, said.
In a joint press conference with the Office of the Vice President (OVP), DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa said that from 2020 until 2022, “we have 425 private schools that have permanently closed” based on the agency’s records.
“Because of that, we have around 20,838 affected learners and 10,000 transferred to public schools,” Poa said.
As of Aug. 18, DepEd data showed that there are 2, 603, 929 learners enrolled in private schools for School Year (SY) 2022-2023.
In the past two years, enrollment in private schools has been declining due to the challenges brought about by Covid-19.
Just this week, Colegio de San Lorenzo (CdSL), a private school in Quezon City, suddenly announced that it will discontinue its operations due to low enrollment resulting in financial instability and lack of financial viability.
DepEd is currently coordinating with the school to ensure that the affected students will continue their education this incoming school year.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/18/deped-seeks-help-from-other-private-schools-to-absorb-displaced-cdsl-students/
Asked how DepEd can assist schools that are struggling to continue their operations, Poa said that the agency continues to find ways to help them.
“The private schools, in terms of management, have autonomy in a way,” Poa said. Thus, DepEd has “reasonable supervision and regulation” over them.
“We’ll see in the coming days kung ano ang pwedeng maitulong (what else can we do to help them),” Poa explained.