Parents beat deadline for Grade 1, kindergarten enrollment

MANILA, Philippines –  Parents trooped to various public schools nationwide yesterday to enrol their children aged five and six in kindergarten and Grade 1, five months ahead of the opening of classes in June.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro had designated the last Saturday of January as the day for parents to pre-register their children for school year 2011-2012.

He said early pre-enrollment was conducted nationwide for education officials to know school problems and look for possible solutions.

Although yesterday was Saturday, the Department of Education required public school teachers to work to help children enroll in kindergarten and Grade 1.

Cebu City DepEd division superintendent Rhea Mar Angtud was happy that parents had responded to the call for the pre-enrollment of their children.

Children born on or before Oct. 31, 2006 shall be eligible for early enrollment in kindergarten, while those born on or before Oct. 31, 2005 with or without kindergarten experience shall be eligible to enroll in Grade 1.

DepEd-7 regional director Ricaredo Borgonia said education officials also accepted for pre-enrollment to first year high school those presently enrolled in Grade VI, those who have finished elementary in the previous years, and those who dropped out from the secondary school’s freshman year.

Borgonia said after the pre-enrolment of students for kindergarten, Grade 1 and first year high school, education officials would meet to discuss problems such as lack of classrooms and teachers.

Angtud monitored the pre-enrolment in public schools in Barangays Mabolo, Luz, Talamban, Binaliw, Busay and Lahug and noted that parents were eager to enroll their children.

Perlita Moreno, who enrolled her six-year-old daughter in Grade 1 in Lahug Elementary School yesterday, said each child would be required to appear before teachers.

 They would be asked about intelligence questions, mathematics and other topics to determine what sections they would be assigned to.

Smart children for Grade 1 would be accepted to the Science Class, DepEd officials said.

They said early enrollment would give them enough time to come up with education interventions and prevent students from dropping out of school.

Early registration

Under DepEd Order No.2, early registration targets all five-year-old children to be enrolled in kindergarten and all six-year-old kids in Grade 1. Early registration is also mandated in public secondary schools to guarantee the enrolment of incoming first year students in their preferred high school.

Meanwhile, students not presently enrolled in Grade 6 but have completed the grade level and who want to be enrolled in first year high school must present their Grade 6 card to the teacher-in- charge of registration in high schools. 

If the report card is not available, a signed certification by parent or guardian that indeed the enrollee has completed Grade 6 can be presented. – Rene Borromeo, Pia Lee-Brago