MANILA, Philippines – Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the school enrollment period has been extended until July 15.

Roque made the announcement on Tuesday, June 30 – the supposed deadline of enrollment for Grade 1 to Grade 12 students.

The presidential spokesman said there were 15.23 million students who were enrolled in public schools as of Tuesday, while there were over 672,000 enrollees in private schools. The figure is just about a half of the 27.7 million students in 2019.

Roque appealed to parents not to wait until mid-July to enroll their children.

“Puwede ba ho wag na natin antayin ang July 15. Pwede ba ho ngayon palang, kapag pu-pwede na, i-enroll na natin ang ating mga anak. ‘Wag ho hayaang matigil ang proseso ng edukasyon ng ating mga anak bagama’t may COVID-19,” Roque said.

(Let’s not wait for the July 15 deadline [to enroll our children]. Let’s enroll them now or when possible. Let’s not allow our children to stop schooling even though there is COVID-19.)

The Department of Education on Monday, June 29, opened the senior high school voucher program for school year 2020 to 2021 to provide financial assistance to students.

The school year is set to open on August 24. A bill delaying the start of classes is still waiting for the President’s signature which would pass it into law. (READ: No student left behind? During pandemic, education ‘only for those who can afford’)

Some students and their families have pointed out that the coronavirus lockdown has affected household finances, as many Filipinos struggled to access the internet for distance learning. 

President Rodrigo Duterte himself doubted the country’s ability to implement distance learning. – Rappler.com+