DepEd braces for late Grade 11 enrollees

With less than two weeks before the opening of classes on June 13, the Department of Education (DepEd) is bracing for possible problems due to an influx of late enrollees to the senior high school program.

As of May 31, data from the education agency said only 200,353 students have enrolled for Grade 11 in various public senior high schools across the country.

Enrolment is ongoing as Education Secretary Armin Luistro urged those who have completed Grade 10 to proceed to their selected senior high schools and secure a slot for the incoming school year.

An initial registration conducted by the department last year showed that at least 855,000 Grade 10 completers signified their intention to enroll in a public senior high school, while another 270,000 said they would go to a private senior high school.

But DepEd data show that only one in every four students who took part in the initial registration has actually enrolled.

In an interview, Luistro said problems related to the school opening would be due to senior high school students who will not enroll but would go to school on the first day of classes.

“The big variable is how many students will enroll,” he said in Filipino. “The problem on June 13 will be the students who will go to senior high schools for the first time and enroll on the first day of classes.”

The education secretary stressed that senior high school would be different from the previous years in basic education as it will be similar to college.

Under the senior high school program, Grades 11 and 12 students will be asked to choose which of the four tracks they would pursue – academic, technical-vocational-livelihood, sports and arts and humanities.

Luistro stressed that availability of the tracks will depend on schools and students must enroll as early as possible as slots will be on a first- come, first-served basis.

The DepEd chief earlier urged schools to reach out to the senior high school enrollees.

“With the support of local officials and civic organizations, all regional directors and schools division superintendents shall conduct an advocacy campaign to inform and encourage out of school youth and potential returning learners to enroll in SHS,” said the secretary.

“Youth Find activities should be launched simultaneously with SHS enrolment,” he added, referring to the scheme that involves tapping community leaders to locate and account for Grade 10 completers who have not yet enrolled for SHS.

Meanwhile, private educators said yesterday nothing dramatic yet will be achieved in the first year of implementation of the senior high school program.