95% student turnout in Cebu City – official

Hundreds of parents try to enroll their children at the Cebu City Central School during yesterday’s opening of classes. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Only 95 percent of the 170,000 public school students from kindergarten to high school in Cebu City showed up on the opening of classes yesterday.

Bianito Dagatan, Cebu City Schools Division superintendent, gave the estimate that at least 160,000 students trooped to schools yesterday during an interview with Cebu Daily News.

He said he came up with the estimate after receiving reports from the division’s other officials who visited schools to monitor the first day of classes in the city.

“This might be due to late enrollees. There are some students that came from private schools and transferred to public schools,” said Dagatan of his student estimate turnout.

Dagatan said that parents have until this week to enroll their students based on their guidelines. Students who will fail to be enrolled this week will still be accepted but on a case-to-case basis.

Also yesterday, Dagatan visited some public schools such as the Abellana National High School to monitor the first day of classes especially for the Grade 11, a grade level which is opened this year as part of the senior high school component of the K to 12 program.

He also cited the lack of classrooms for the senior high school students in Cebu City, but said they still continue holding classes.

In Mabolo Elementary School, Dr. Teresita Manzades, the school’s principal, said there were only a few who enrolled yesterday for the school year 2016-2017.

Manzades said that 3,172 students attended school yesterday, excluding the number of enrollees yesterday.

She said that this is only 95 percent of last year’s enrollees, and they are still targeting to achieve the 100 percent student turnout of the school with still a week to go for enrollment.

“Ang among last day of enrollment will this  Friday. Those children who were enrolled (Monday) will be enrollees. After June 17 diha nana sila matawag nga late enrollees,” she told Cebu Daily News.

The school have 86 teachers for kindergarten to  grade  six students.