Over 28 million students expected this school year

MANILA, Philippines — Amid learning losses and perennial challenges in the education sector, it’s all hands on deck for the government as it prepares to welcome millions of students to public schools when classes reopen on Aug. 29.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is expecting around 28 million students in the coming school year – almost similar to last year – with the bulk expected to enroll again in over 47,000 public schools nationwide.

The DepEd has yet to release initial data on enrollment, and it is unclear if it would project enrollment in public schools to increase further.

Some 28.7 million students were enrolled in basic education last year, with around 24 million in public kindergarten, elementary and high schools.

The share of students enrolled in public schools has continuously increased in recent years as more Filipinos encounter economic challenges partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This, in turn, contributed further to shortages in teachers and classrooms, which education officials and advocates recognized as a contributing factor in learning losses.

There are over 12,000 private basic education institutions in the country, but data showed that as of last year, more than 400 had closed since 2020.

“Since we are still on learning recovering mode, opening of another school year is very critical to improving the outcomes more than 28 million learners,” Education Undersecretary for operations Revsee Escobedo said during the launch of the Oplan Balik Eskwela yesterday.

“This year, we acknowledge that we will face a lot of tasks and challenges in the face of the perennial problems that we have. Rest assured that the DepEd continues its efforts to address these challenges, but we will need a whole-of-nation approach to successfully do this,” Escobedo added.

The DepEd official underscored the importance of ensuring that schools have access to basic necessities, including communications facilities, transportation, peace and order and health and safety.

“We also need to ensure that our schools and classrooms are physically ready, safe, fully functional and supportive of fundamental learning and education,” Escobedo said.

“This undertaking cannot be done by the department alone, that’s why we are reaching out to our partners once again… We need all the help that we can get, that is why your assistance and initiatives for the opening of classes are essential for a successful school opening and ushering in an exciting year of education for our lifelong learners,” he told partners.

The weeklong Brigada Eskwela officially started last Monday, with President Marcos joining Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte at the V. Mapa High School in Manila.