Dwindling enrollment due to poverty

from the Sun Star

By Annabelle L. Ricalde

FEWER students have enrolled at Cagayan de Oro City public schools due to the rising prices of rice, fuel and basic commodities, a Department of Education (DepEd) official said Monday.

Rodolfo Bayeta Jr., Planning Officer II of the DepEd City Division Office, said parents are finding it hard to find money to enroll their children despite the strict implementation of the "No Collection Policy" on Scout membership, Red Cross membership, anti-TB fund drive, the parents and teachers association (PTA), school publication, and membership in student organizations.

Despite public schools not charging tuition to elementary children, enrollments have been slow for this school year compared to last year, said Bayeta.

"Financial man gyud ang reason. Tungod sa atong economic situation, taas na ang presyo sa bugas ug pletihan. Tanan gyud nisaka (The reason is financial. Because of the economic situation where prices of rice and basic commodities are high)," Bayeta said.

Data furnished to Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro showed that only 59,373 elementary students have enrolled as of Monday compared to 71,986 students in 2007.

At City Central School in Velez Street, DepEd recorded 6,690 enrollees compared to 7,441 students last year.

At the public schools comprising DepEd North II District in Barangays Bonbon, Bayabas and Kauswagan, the data showed that only 4,387 students have so far been enrolled compared to last year's 5,498 students.

Bayeta said only 78 percent have so far enrolled of the expected students for this school year.

"We hope that the figures will increase because of late enrollments. Our enrollment will end in August. We still have two months," he said.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus issued DepEd Order 40, which strictly implements the "no collection policy" in public elementary and secondary schools.

Bayeta said DepEd would no longer require students to wear uniforms to help lessen the cost of sending children to school.

He said school children are only required to bring their old report cards in order to enroll.

"No fees shall be collected from schoolchildren enrolled in preschool up to Grade IV during the enrollment period and at anytime during the school year. We will penalize teachers and other officials who will not follow this order," Bayeta said.

He said for grade and year levels beyond Grade IV, no collection of any type could be undertaken during the enrollment period and the first month of classes.

"By this way, we are hoping that more parents would encourage their children to enroll," Bayeta said.

The International human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, warned that high prices of rice, basic commodities and fuel have more serious impact on the country's poor.

Dr. Aurora Parong, Executive director of the Amnesty International Philippines, said despite rapid economic growth reported by the government, poor Filipinos still have no access to wealth.

Parong said data from the government and the Social Weather Station (SWS) said one out of three Filipinos considered themselves as poor as of January this year.