MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has set its early registration for school year 2019-2020 from January 26 to February 22. 

But registration will be suspended for a day on Tuesday, February 5, in observance of Chinese New Year. This is in accordance with the presidential proclamation declaring the day as a non-working holiday for 2019.

The DepEd said the month-long registration period will be open to incoming kindergarten pupils, as well as Grades 1, 7, and 11 students in both public and private schools. Early registration helps the department prepare for possible concerns when the new school year comes.

During the early registration period, students will be registered, enrolled in school, and informed of policies on collection of fees. They will also have their learner information updated and encoded into the DepEd’s system.

The DepEd also conducts early registration to identify students who may have special needs and circumstances during the school year.

Specifically, it aims to register and locate the following learners with special conditions:

• lived in a far-flung community or a barangay without a school
• displaced due to natural disaster
• lived in an area that has seen armed conflict area or a high level of criminality and drug abuse
• lived with a disability
• had nutritional problems or a chronic illness
• victim of child abuse or economic exploitation
• stateless or undocumented
• in conflict with the law
• lived on the streets
• out of school

The DepEd said it wants to identify these students and get them back into learning through either the formal schooling system, alternative delivery mode, or the alternative learning system.

The education department also ordered all its offices to conduct information campaigns to spread awareness on the early registration period. 

School division heads and schools were also directed to conduct door-to-door campaigns and meetings with parents, barangay officials, and civil society groups to raise awareness on the early registration period. – Rappler.com