DepEd: Enrolment down in Cordillera schools

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY— The Cordillera Administrative Region office of the Department of Education here reported Tuesday a significant decline in enrolment in elementary and secondary schools in the region.

Based on the latest report of the agency, enrolment in public elementary schools dipped from 217,472 enrolees last year to 214,144 for the school year 2011-2012 or a 1.76 percent decrease in enrolment.

At the same time, enrolment in the secondary level dropped by as high as 1.4 percent or from 86,817 enrolees last year only 83,049 students have enrolled this schoolyear so far.

Among the probable reasons of the decrease in enrolment is because students are reportedly moving to more urbanized and developed areas to pursue their studies and that some students decide to enroll late.

The significant decrease in this year’s enrolment is a big blow to the Aquino administration’s programs in trying to keep children in school such as the conditional cash transfer and the supplemental feeding of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

However, DepEd officials claimed they were not remise in their job to encourage parents and children to avail of the early enrolment schedule but they remain optimistic that they could at least tie last year’s enrolment when the deadline for enrolment expires by the end of the month.

Ifugao was the only province that posted a negative rate of decrease at 4.44 percent or a reduction of 103 students.