EDITORIAL - Preventing an education crisis

With the 45-day enrollment period in public schools ending on July 15, over a fourth of students still have to list up. In private schools, from kindergarten to higher education institutions, the figures are more dismal, with only 25.3 percent of the expected students enrolled so far.

That’s approximately seven million students – about 74.6 percent of the 27.7 million who enrolled in public and private kindergarten, elementary and high schools in 2019 – whose parents have opted to keep their children away from school in the next academic year.

The situation is equally worrisome in higher education institutions. The Commission on Higher Education has confirmed receiving formal notifications from private HEIs that they intend to shut down this school year. These are just the colleges and universities. What about the private elementary and high schools? Kiddie schools are certain to be shuttered for the school year. In the province of Cavite alone, Gov. Jonvic Remulla has said around 100 private schools will no longer open for academic year 2020-2021.

Because of economic difficulties arising from the coronavirus pandemic, there are students who have transferred from private schools to public facilities where tuition is free, adding to the woes of private educators. DepEd data showed that so far, 328,862 such transfers have been recorded.

Enrollment is down not just because of financial difficulties. As indicated by the enrollment figures, millions of parents intend to suspend their children’s formal education until the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is over. The COVID-19 health crisis could spark an unprecedented crisis in the education sector.

There is concern that the ranks of out-of-school youth would swell beyond the upcoming school year as a result of the economic displacement due to the pandemic. There are students who will be left behind by their peers for at least one academic year.

Teachers are losing their jobs – and finding work overseas is not even an option these days because the pandemic has also devastated the global labor market in nearly all sectors.

DepEd officials prefer to stand up to the challenge and are determined to forge ahead with blended learning and alternative modes of education when classes open on Aug. 24. That’s only about a month away. More effort will have to be made to increase enrollment, preserve jobs and prevent schools from shutting down. At the same time, measures must be ramped up to protect the health of returning students, teachers and all school officials and employees. The school opening will be a litmus test of the efficiency of balancing public health and the economy.