Around 23 million students in public schools are expected to return to school nationwide as classes for school year 2017-2018 officially start today.
DepEd has set June 5 as the opening of classes for all public kinder, elementary, and secondary schools nationwide.
However, classes in Marawi City and other nearby areas affected by an ongoing operation against the Maute Group have been postponed and moved to a later date.
Around four million students are also expected to troop back to private schools nationwide in the next few weeks and not later than August 4.
This school opening will be the first for Leonor Briones as Education Secretary.
As the incoming DepEd Secretary, she welcomed the opening of classes in Metro Manila with outgoing Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro during a visit at the Commonwealth High School in Quezon City in 2016.
Briones will monitor this year’s school opening at the President Corazon High School and Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila.
With the nationwide implementation of Grade 12 under the Senior High School Program this school year, DepEd is projecting around eight percent or a two-million increase in enrolment in public and private schools.
From 25 million enrollees last school year 2016-2017, the DepEd is bracing for 27 million students this school year in public and private schools nationwide.
DepEd data showed that the projected enrolment this coming school year is 26,969,816 with 22,891,329 in public kinder, elementary, junior high school, and SHS and 4,078,487 in private schools.
DepEd said 2.1 million will be in kinder, 14.4 million in elementary, 7.6 million in JHS, and 2.8 million in SHS.
It noted that 800,000 students are expected to enroll in the Alternative Learning System this school year.
(Ina Hernando Malipot)
