The Schools Division Office (SDO) of Iloilo City of the Department of Education (DepEd) will seek the help of village officials in mapping out learners in their barangays who are yet to enroll as the registration has been extended until the end of this month.

In an interview on Wednesday, SDO Iloilo City Superintendent Dr. Ma. Luz De los Reyes said they have yet to reach their target enrollees of around 84,000, which is 0.28 percent higher compared to the 81,000 enrollees last school year.

“We will write a letter to the mayor and appeal to the barangay to map out who are the school-age children who have not yet enrolled,” she said.

A letter addressed to Mayor Jerry P. Treñas asking for his help in reaching out to barangay officials is reportedly being crafted.

As of Sept. 15, a total of 74,166 learners have been officially enrolled in the division composed of 4,664 from kindergarten; 35,362, elementary; 23,467, junior high school; 9,164, senior high school; 148 for special education (SPED); 1,012, alternative learning system (ALS); and 349 in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

She added that they are still waiting for additional enrollees from Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 7.

The campaign is for the previous year’s Kindergarten to already enroll in Grade 1 and for nursery to Kindergarten to reach the actual enrollment, De los Reyes said.

The low turnout, among others, was attributed to the movement restrictions imposed in the city due to the increasing cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In schools, only 30 percent of the capacity of their offices is allowed to report to reproduce modules and communicate with parents of enrollees.

She said that they looked forward to the support of barangay officials who know the situation on the ground.

“May appeal is they should mind also if the learners have already enrolled. One role of the chair on education (at the barangay council) is to be mindful if the children have enrolled already or have done their tasks,” De los Reyes added. (PNA)