MANILA, Philippines — Public schools across the country will begin on Feb. 1 the month-long early registration for incoming kindergarten and Grades 1, 7 and 11 students.
The opening of the early registration was moved one week from the original schedule as Chinese New Year falls on Jan. 25 and is a national holiday, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).
The early registration, which will run until March 6, aims to ensure that all new students are registered for the incoming school year.
It will only cover incoming students in the kindergarten and Grades 1, 7 and 11 levels as the rest are already considered pre-registered.
Based on the basic education enrollment guidelines issued in 2018, incoming kindergarten students must be five years old on or before Aug. 31, 2020.
Incoming Grade 1 students must have completed kindergarten or assessed as Grade 1-ready for children six years old and above who have not gone to kindergarten.
Incoming students may also be registered if they have passed either the Philippine Education Placement Test or the Accreditation and Equivalency Test for the Alternative Learning System.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said that the early registration also seeks to locate, identify and register out-of-school children and youth in the community, including those who have disabilities; living in off-grid communities; displaced due to disasters; and stateless or undocumented.
Aside from establishing early registration desks in every school, local education officials were encouraged to undertake house-to-house campaigns to reach all school-age children in their respective communities.
In areas without schools but may have enrollees, focal persons should also be designated to communicate with local officials for the purpose of conducting early registration in barangay halls.
“Registration of school children who were identified during child finding activities shall be conducted by schools division offices in coordination with the local social worker of the Department of Social Welfare and Development,” Briones said in the enrolment policy.
She stressed that all school-age children should be allowed access to basic education.
“The rules and standards prescribed by this policy uphold the right of learners to enroll in public schools upon presentation of minimum documentary requirements, and to be provided with accessible, relevant, quality and liberating education,” she said.
“They also guarantee the right of learners to enroll in private schools and (government-funded tertiary institutions) offering basic education upon the submission of minimum documentary requirements, and satisfaction of other conditions that the educational institution may require, subject to the existing laws and regulations,” added the secretary.
Minimum documentary requirements include birth certificates from the Philippine Statistics Authority or the National Statistics Office and proof of completion of previous grade level for enrollees in Grade 1 and above.
In case of its absence, birth certificates issued by the local civil registrar, as well as baptismal or barangay certificates may be submitted.