Fewer enrolees for school year 2023-’24 worries lawmaker
A party-list lawmaker has expressed alarm over the significant decrease in the number of enrollees for the upcoming school year 2023-2024.
“It is truly disheartening to see that instead of an increase in the number of students as we transition back to normalcy, we are witnessing a drastic drop of over three million enrollees,” ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said.
The Department of Education (DepEd) reported a drop of more than 5 million in the number of enrollees for the school year 2023-2024 from last year.
DepEd said there are 22,917,725 enrollees recorded for public and private schools, state universities and colleges, as well as local universities and colleges, including Philippine schools overseas.
Castro asked DepEd Sec. and concurrent Vice President Sara Duterte to provide an explanation for this alarming trend.
Historically, student enrollment in the Philippines has been increasing by 2 percent every year.
The decline in enrollment occurred only during the SY 2020-2021 due to the pandemic, but it showed signs of recovery in the following school year.
“As it is, the Philippine education system not only faces the challenge of learning loss but also the loss of three million learners. We must delve into the causes of this issue and conduct a thorough investigation,” Castro said.
Castro urged the Department of Education to prioritize addressing the barriers that hinder students from enrolling, such as lack of access to technology, economic constraints, and safety concerns.
“We cannot afford to allow this trend to continue. The government must take immediate action to ensure that every Filipino child has equal access to quality education,” she said.
ACT Teachers Party-list also called on the DepEd to collaborate with other government agencies, local government units, and educational institutions to implement effective strategies that will encourage parents and guardians to enroll their children and address the underlying factors contributing to the decline in enrollment.
