SDO-Iloilo expects enrollment surge this week

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Schools Division Office (SDO) of Iloilo, under the Department of Education (DepEd), is preparing for a surge in student enrollments during the Brigada Eskwela event, scheduled from July 22 to 27.

The SDO-Iloilo reported that the enrollment summary as of July 24 is 289,878 students, with 141,132 in elementary, 102,159 in junior high, and 46,587 in senior high school.

For the school year 2023-2024, the SDO-Iloilo recorded 475,516 enrollees: 252,854 in elementary, 143,920 in junior high, and 46,587 in senior high.

Although current numbers are lower than last year, SDO spokesperson Leonil Salvilla expects an increase in enrollments closer to the start of classes on July 29.

“This is lower compared to last year because we noticed that the majority of our learners and parents are enrolling during Brigada Eskwela,” he said on Wednesday.

“We expect that during Brigada Eskwela, we will gather more enrollees. We even expect to surpass last year’s enrollment,” he added.

Salvilla reminded parents that enrollment can be done in-person, remotely, or through dropbox forms at schools and barangay halls.

Acknowledging the current weather conditions, Salvilla mentioned that late enrollments are permitted under the Basic Education Enrollment Policy (Department of Education Order 03, s. 2018).

Under the order, schools may accept late enrollees as long as they can attend 80% of the required school days and meet the quarterly requirements to pass the grade level.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in May approved reverting the country’s school calendar to the traditional arrangement.

Marcos’ approval directs that the opening of classes for the school year 2024-2025 will begin on July 29 this year and end on April 15, 2025.

With the onset of the rainy season, Salvilla assured that SDO-Iloilo has contingency measures in place, especially for flood-prone schools.

Class cancellations may occur depending on rainfall warnings and advisories from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, according to Salvilla.