With less than two weeks left before the opening of classes, the Department of Education in Leyte is stepping up its efforts to encourage over 150,000 learners to enroll for the new school year.

DepEd Leyte schools’ division superintendent Manuel Albaño said in a press briefing on Wednesday that they have been meeting with more stakeholders to solicit support in addressing the problem.

“The enrolment was a bit slow during the first two weeks, but based on recent reports, we are seeing an increase in number of parents and children coming to school for the enrollment. We still have until August 22 to enroll the target population,” Albano said.

In the previous school year, the province listed 404,928 learners from kindergarten to Grade 12. As of Aug. 9, some 250,973 have been enrolled.

The data shows that enrollment in more than two weeks is 153,955 lower than the actual enrollment in the previous school year.

“We will use all platforms to reach out more children with the help of parents and community leaders. We want all our children to be counted,” Albaño added.

For the upcoming school year, the education department has started conducting physical enrollment with options for a remote one

The enrollment administered in person is permitted while observing minimum health and safety standards, including wearing a face mask, temperature check upon entry, availability of disinfecting alcohol, and physical distancing to avoid the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.

Schools can also facilitate remote enrollment by having parents/legal guardians or the learners fill out digital forms and send them through the official email address of the school or any of the available messaging platforms provided. (PNA)