The Department of Education (DepEd) formally welcomed some 28,035,042 enrollees for School Year 2022-2023 in its National School Opening Day Program (NSODP).
“Isang malaking tagumpay para sa kabataang Pilipino ang muling pagsisimula ng in-person learning ngayong araw na ito. Isang habkang na buong tapang na ginawa ng Department of Education sa kabila ng mga hamon at takot na dala ng COVID-19 pandemic,” Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said in her welcoming speech during the school opening program held at Dinalupihan Elementary School.
“Our shared dedication, our shared strength as a nation, and our shared aspirations for children and our country has brought us all here today.”
“Our shared dedication, our shared strength as a nation, and our shared aspirations for children and our country has brought us all here today, and today we are making things possible for our children and for our country,” Duterte added.
The enrollment data is based on the total of the Quick Count of the Learner Information System (LIS) and early registration data.
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) recorded the highest number of registrants with 3,423,460, followed by Region III (Central Luzon) and National Capital Region with 2,619,321 and 2,454,151 enrollees, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Department encourages more parents, legal guardians, and learners to register as the agency will still accept late enrollees in accordance to DO 3, s. 2018 on the Basic Education Enrollment Policy.
On the other hand, the Alternative Learning System (ALS) can enroll via digital and/or physical platforms established by schools and Community Learning Centers (CLCs) within the barangays.
“Hinikayat natin ang ating mga magulang na i-enroll na ‘yong mga hindi nakakapag-enroll na anak para maihanda natin [nang tuluy-tuloy] ang ating mga paaralan base sa actual number of learners this year,” DepEd Spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa reiterated.
Poa stressed that the start of the school year did not have any major issues, based on the reports of the regional directors.
“We expect many challenges but as Filipinos we will be resilient.”
“To echo our Vice President and Secretary’s message, when we say we are ready for classes, we are not saying that there will be no problems, we expect many challenges but as Filipinos we will be resilient,” he said.
“We will overcome. We will not break,” Poa concluded.
