Gatchalian calls on DepEd to address 2.3 million ‘missing’ students in enrollment

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to look into the 2.3 million unenrolled students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a hearing of the Senate committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture, committee chairperson Gatchalian urged DepEd to address the issue as it may result in permanent school dropouts.

“We consider this 2.3 million as dropouts. What we do not want to happen is to have permanent dislocation of children. Instead of studying, they would just permanently go to work,” he said.

“My point of the matter there Undersecretary Nepo(muceno Malaluan) is we have to address that 2.3 million missing students,” he added.

According to DepEd Undersecretary Jess Mateo, the Alternative Learning System  (ALS) of the department can facilitate concerned students.

Mateo added the enrollment is still ongoing. However, he pointed out that the enrollment of students still depends on the decision of parents.

Gatchalian also called the attention of DepEd on the 30 percent drop of enrolment in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan attributed the decline to the economic impact amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Senator Nancy Binay urged DepEd to look into the real factors that caused the drop of enrollment in BARMM considering that the region only has a low number of COVID-19 cases.

Like Gatchalian, she also said the drop in BARMM’s enrollment is alarming.

"Pag-aralan din ng DepEd kung ano talaga 'yung tunay na dahilan kung bakit ganun kalaki. I don’t think it could be dahil sa COVID. Alam naman natin na hindi katulad sa NCR 'yung case ng BARMM," Binay said.—AOL, GMA News