Some 25.7 million kindergarten, elementary and secondary students are expected to troop to public and private schools Monday for the opening of classes, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said they are expecting fewer problems Monday due to the preparations they made through the Oplan Balik Eskwela project.
“Months before the opening of classes, the department had taken steps to prepare all public elementary and high schools across the country. With this, we are looking forward to a smooth opening of classes. Our Balik Eskwela partners also implemented projects that support these objectives,” Luistro said.
Nationwide, DepEd is expecting a total enrolment of 25.7 million students, 22.05 million of whom are enrolled in public schools and an estimated 3.65 million enrolled in private schools.
They are expected to attend 15,841 kindergarten schools; 37,762 public and 7,084 private elementary schools; and 5,677 public and 4,707 private high schools.
This is an increase from last year’s enrollment of 23.43 million schoolchildren in the public and private schools.
This year, the department is also anticipating 1.93 million kindergarten pupils, who will have their first taste of education under the universal Kindergarten program during the school year and summer.
The universal kindergarten program is part of the government’s effort to add two more years to the current 10-year basic education cycle under the K to 12 program.
The K to 12 program covers kindergarten, six years of elementary, four years of junior high school and two more years of senior high school.
At present, the country’s basic education system comprises only kindergarten, six years of elementary and four years of high school.
To remedy the situation, Luistro said they would open 700 permanent teaching positions and another 10,000 would be hired through the contract of service program this school year.
Classroom to student ratio - The department said the classroom to student ratio in the public elementary level stood at 1:39, while the figure for the secondary level is at 1:53, though in the Kindergarten level, the figure is at a staggering one classroom per 63 students.
The teacher-student ratio stood at 1:36 in the elementary level and 1:38 in high school, though it was an astounding 1:65 in the kindergarten level.
The department said there are 29,615 pre-school teachers nationwide though only 2,807 are permanent positions.
Luistro also emphasized the department’s efforts to meet the Education For All (EFA) goals by improving the participation rate among students.
“Our measures are not only geared toward the opening of classes but also to enjoin parents to send their children to school,” he said, adding that in this aspect, the department has already reminded parents and school administrators that basic public education is free and that no collection should be done in June and July, as per DepEd Order No. 41 series of 2011.
“The only way to achieve higher outcomes in these preparations is to engage all sectors of society. DepEd is very grateful for the overwhelming support of our stakeholders to our programs,” the DepEd chief added.
Data from the department showed that participation rate has increased in the elementary level in a five-year period though in the secondary level, there is a slight dip.
In 2005-2006, participation rate in the elementary level stood at 85.31 percent, a slight decline in 2006-2007 at 84.32 percent, bouncing back to 87.81 percent in school year 2007-2008, 88.10 percent in 2008-2009 and 88.09 percent last year.
But participation rate in the secondary level showed some problems as the numbers are fluctuating. It started at 59.99 percent in 2005-2006, 60.23 percent in the following school year, 59.70 percent in 2007-2008, 60.19 percent in 2008-2009 and 59.12 percent last school year.
Luistro also paid tribute to the National Schools Maintenance Week or the Brigada Eskwela, which mobilized the local communities, local government units, private sector and non-government organizations in the repair and construction of school buildings.
Instead of cash donations, participants to the clean-up drive donate construction and cleaning materials or serve as volunteers to prepare the schools two weeks before the opening of classes.
Luistro said that last year, Brigada was able to generate an equivalent amount of more than P1.7 billion from donations in kind and man-hours spent in school repairs.
When the activity was first launched in 2003, participation rate was only at a dismal 31 percent but DepEd said that since it was made an institutional event in 2008, participation rate of schools stood at 100 percent.
Two international donor agencies, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have also participated in this year’s Brigada by adopting public schools for repair and refurbishing, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
On the other hand, the department has also organized its Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE) campaign, which established a working tie-up with various school security forces as well as local officials and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the safety of students returning to schools for school year 2011-2012.
The OBE-Information and Action Center Task Force is also going on at the DepEd Central Office to address common problems encountered during school opening, provide information and coordinate with government agencies, communities and other educational stakeholders.
“With all of these preparations, we can be assured that no student will skip the first day of the school year. I urge parents, teachers and the entire community to actively participate and ensure that our children are in school for the opening of classes,” added Luistro.
OBE is an inter-agency task force composed of the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of the Interior and Local Government along with the Philippine National Police, Department of Transportation and Communications, Department of National Defense, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Metro Manila Development Authority, Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System with its concessionaires Maynilad and Manila Water, and the Meralco.
Higher education - In the tertiary level, the Commission on Higher Education (ChEd) said it is expecting some three million students to troop to 1,792 colleges and universities in the country, including the 110 state universities and colleges (SUC).
Ched Executive Director lawyer Julito Vitriolo said a total of 2, 660, 963 (pre-baccalaureate, baccalaureate, post-baccalaureate, master’s and doctorate) are expected to attend various courses this academic year compared to last year’s 2,635,007.
The Ched calendar said the first semester of this academic year should also start today, June 6, though several colleges and universities would open their doors only on June 13.
Vitriolo credited the increase in the enrollment to the Filipino mentality of getting a college diploma, the increase in population and the number of high school graduates.
Earlier, Ched said 324 colleges and universities are set to hike their tuition this academic year.
But despite the repeated reminders and even warning of administrative sanctions, complaints about the collection of school fees continue to flood the OBE-IAC, data showed.
On the eve of the formal opening of classes, DepEd said 295 (25.56 percent of the total complaints, inquiries and request for assistance) complaints about the collection of school fees/compulsory contribution have already reached the command center since it was reactivated last week.
On Sunday alone (up to 11 a.m.) the OBE-IAC said there were already 15 complaints against the collection of school fees. The figure is expected less than a day before the opening of classes.
Luistro said he has ordered a probe on the schools that disregard his order, adding that their officials will be held liable for administrative offense.
The DepEd said that schools can only collect authorized contributions from those in Grade 5 up to 4th year high school but they can do so only by August. The authorized voluntary contributions are P50 for the Boy and Girl Scouts of the Philippines, P5 for the Anti-TB Fund and P60 (elementary) and P90 (high school) for the school publication.
The contribution for the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) may only be collected after the PTA has presented the reports of the previous year’s collection to its members and the school administration.
Overall, DepEd said the command center, which is operational from 7 a.m. up to 6 p.m., has received 1,154 complaints, inquiries and request for assistance since its reactivation last May 30 and up to noon Sunday though it said it was able to resolve 1,147 leaving only seven for follow-up by its personnel and concerned offices.
Second to complaints about collection of school fees was confusion on enrolment policy with 117 since May 30 followed by request for assistance for insufficient credentials at 98 and 81 for transferees' requirements.
By Sunnex
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