DepEd: First day of in-person classes ‘peaceful, orderly’

MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday stated that the first day of in-person classes throughout the country is generally peaceful and orderly.

As of Monday morning, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said in a Viber message that there were no major incidents reported to them.

“As 9:20 a.m. po, base po sa mga updates ng ating mga regional directors, maayos at mapayapa po ang pagbabalik eskwela ng ating mga learners. Wala pa pong nakakarating sa amin na untoward incidents. Patuloy po kaming naka-monitor sa ating mga paaralan (As 9:20 a.m., based on the updates of regional directors, the school reopening is orderly and peaceful for our learners. We haven’t received reports of any untoward incidents. We are continuously monitoring our schools),” he said.

The DepEd issued the statement after the extensive preparations for the gradual transition to face-to-face learning to ensure the safe return of students two years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Schools that started their in-person setup have implemented safety guidelines including the mandatory wearing of face masks, temperature checks, and proper sanitation.

Police assistance desks were also on posts near school vicinities to maintain security on educational premises.

The Oplan Balik Eskwela Command Center also received 26 calls, the majority of which were about school policy and operations; however, some guardians were most concerned about the issuance of a Form 138 photocopy even if there was an outstanding balance in private schools.

Enrollment turnout

The DepEd has recorded 28,035,042 enrolled students nationwide as of Monday, which is a slight shortfall from their targeted 28.6 million enrollees.

However, Poa stated that parents can still register their children, who will be eventually required to go on a face-to-face learning setup come November 2.

“We are still encouraging those who haven’t enrolled to enroll as soon as possible. It also bears emphasizing that although we haven’t met our projected figures. The enrolled learners this year is already 101 percent of our figure from last school year’s enrollment,” he told the Philippine News Agency in a text message.

Over 28 million enrollees of this year have over 4 million pre-registered while the remaining more than 23 million secured their registration during the official enrollment period.

The DepEd asserted that this turnout exceeded the previous official enrollment tally hitting 27,560,661.

To address the “learning loss” that occurred in distance learning during the pandemic, the DepEd took a firm stance on the gradual transition to face-to-face learning.