BACK TO SCHOOL. Students flock to the Northern Tacloban City High School during the first day of classes on Monday (July 29, 2024). The Department of Education reported that some campuses in the town centers of Eastern Visayas are dealing with overcrowding as parents prefer to enroll their children in central schools and not in campuses near their communities. (PNA photo by Sarwell Meniano)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) in Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) on Tuesday urged parents to choose schools near them for their children's studies as it reported overcrowding in some campuses in the town centers.
DepEd Eastern Visayas regional information officer Jasmin Calzita said several campuses in urban centers have been reporting about reaching the school's capacity to absorb enrollees.
“This is a perennial concern at the opening of classes. We have overpopulated classrooms while there are schools in villages with less enrollment,” Calzita said in a phone interview.
One example, she said, is the Leyte National High School in Tacloban City, which has about 10,000 students, including those living in other parts of Leyte province.
“More students mean more resources are needed to ensure conducive learning. If we don’t control the population, we will have problems with classroom shortages and a lack of learning materials,” she added.
The official said they have been advocating for parents to have their children enrolled in schools in their villages. Those students who can’t be accommodated in central schools are referred to nearby public schools.
Calzita said schools have been established in almost all villages in the region, so learners don’t have to go to other villages to learn.
In 2022, the DepEd reported that the region’s six provinces have 4,471 schools, the fourth region with the greatest number of campuses among 17 regions in the country.
As of Monday afternoon, the DepEd has recorded 828,720 enrollees in elementary and high school. This is still below the 1.25 million actual enrollments in the past academic year.
“Our general assessment is that we had a smooth opening of classes. The issues we have noted are perennial challenges that can be addressed by the school and the community,” she added.
Under its Oplan Balik Eskwela, which runs from July 22 to Aug. 2, the DepEd has set up command centers to handle immediate virtual assistance to the public in answering queries, concerns, complaints, and clarifications about the school opening. (PNA)
