As formal classes to start on Monday
TACLOBAN CITY- The Department of Education (DepEd) said that it is now ready to welcome the more than 1.3 million students across the region as classes for this school year are to start this Monday (June 4).
With the week clean-up drive conducted ahead of the school opening, students should expect of their first day of lessons, said Jasmin Calzeta, DepEd regional information officer.
Education officials in the region led by Director Ramir Uytico are to monitor the school opening.
Calzeta said that considering that all school premises and classrooms have been cleaned up or refurbished during the ‘Brigada Eskwela’ teachers are now ready to conduct their lessons.
“Classes will start on June 4 as teachers are ready with their class lessons on that first day of school for this school year,” she said.
“So we are ready to welcome our students this Monday,” Calzeta added.
She, however, admitted that schools are still to accept late enrollees as the DepEd reminded schools that collection of fees are not mandatory and should not be used as basis for not accepting enrollees.
Calzeta said that during the first day of classes, other government agencies are also ready like the Philippine National Police on security aspect and the Bureau of Fire and Protection in case of a fire incident involving a school.
The regional DepEd is projecting that about 1.3 million students from kindergarten up to senior high are to troop to their respective classrooms this Monday.
Last year’s school term had 1.24 million students enrolled from the 4,162 public schools across the region.
The region has about 47,334 public elementary and secondary teachers with the current number expected to increase as Eastern Visayas needs an additional 4,124 teachers to be assigned to its 13 schools division.
Calzeta said that with an increased number of enrolled students and still grappling with shortage of classrooms, the ideal student-to-teacher ratio could not be achieve.
“The ideal ratio is one is to 40 for the secondary but this is still not being achieved because we still have some shortage of classrooms,”she said.
Calzeta said that she could not provide yet data on classroom shortage of the region. Hundreds of classrooms were destroyed five years ago when the region was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ as there are still schools that have temporary learning spaces.
