With upwards of 10 million students registering in the first two weeks of the remote enrollment structure, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that it has also started the drop box enrollment system to draw more enrollees as physical or face-to-face enrollment is still out of the equation.
These drop box or kiosks which can be found in barangay halls and schools, will be set up only for picking up and dropping off of the Learner Enrollment Survey Form (LESF), according to the official statement of education department.
The statement also enumerated general instructions to parents before going to the drop box kiosks. These are as follows:
• Drop box kiosks will only cater to those parents who do not have access to remote means (text, call, online and social media) to communicate with their schools but wish to enroll their child.
• Only one adult from a household with quarantine pass will be allowed to go to these kiosks.
• Parents and guardians needing assistance are advised to ask their respective barangay leadership in this transaction.
• Parents and guardians must be familiar with the advisory of the school or barangay on designated pick up and submission points before going out.
“We thank our parents and teachers for supporting our mission of offering learning opportunities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, evident by more than 10 million learners nationwide who registered remotely in the first two weeks of the enrollment period,” the statement read.
Schools were already instructed to coordinate with barangay officials in the distribution and retrieval of LESFs.
Teachers and personnel to be assigned to the enrollment kiosks will be provided with face masks and disinfectant while markings and signage will be in place to make sure that minimum health safety measures are followed, the statement furthered.
The education department reiterated that it is one with President Duterte in saying that the health of our learners is non-negotiable and no face-to-face classes will be conducted until the safety of all is assured.
The education department stressed that this school year’s enrollment is crucial to its preparation as it will validate the data of the early registration done in January and if learners in other grade levels will continue to avail of the education services of the Department.
For queries and clarifications regarding the enrolment and other initiatives of the Department for the upcoming school year, please call telephone numbers (02) 8636-1663; (02) 8633-1942; mobile phone numbers 0919-456-0027; 0995-921-8461; or email at [email protected].
DepEd Sec. Leonor Briones had announced last June 8 that it would comply with the directive of the President to suspend the conduct of face-to-face classes until a vaccine becomes available.
Admitting that preparing schools in a different setup is a “challenging task” for the education department, Sec. Briones said that “we are committed to our duty to make education available and thriving, even in the most difficult time.”