Angara: 98% of schools proceeded with class opening

Ninety-eight percent of schools nationwide have already opened classes on Monday for School Year 2024-2025, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.

Interviewed at Carmona National High School, Angara said that more than 840 schools decided to postpone the opening of classes because of the effects of Tropical Cyclone Carina and the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), and the heavy rains early Monday morning.

“Maliit lang [‘yung percentage] kasi… wala pang ano siguro eh, wala pang 2% of the whole country. So ibig sabihin, 98% of schools, nagbukas,” he said.

(This is only a small percentage, it’s less than 2% of the schools in the whole country. This means that 98% of schools have opened classes.)

As of July 28, 9:30 p.m., the Department of Education’s (DepEd) data showed that 842 schools across the country delayed the class opening, affecting 803,824 learners.

Most of these schools were recorded in Central Luzon at 452, followed by the National Capital Region with 225, Ilocos Region with 95, and Calabarzon with 66.

Four schools in Soccsksargen also postponed the opening of classes.

Angara said that those that suspended classes will have to conduct Saturday classes.

“Usually, gano’n naman ‘yun eh, diba? Kailangan ‘pagka na-miss ‘yung weekday, so ‘yung weekend will make up,” he told reporters.

(That’s the usual process. When you miss a weekday class, you have to make it up during the weekends.)

As to enrollment, the DepEd chief said that students who have not enrolled yet still have time to do so until September this year.

“Well, usually naman continuous enrollment pa rin ‘yan eh. Karamihan diyan nage-enroll three to four weeks bago pasukan at bukas pa ‘yan ‘til September,” Angara added.

(Usually, the enrollment period is continuous. Many of them have already enrolled three to four weeks before the opening of classes, and the enrollment is still open until September.)

Based on DepEd’s enrollment data as of 12 noon Monday, there were 20,598,072 students enrolled so far in both public and private schools, including state and local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs), and the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Majority of students in the country were still enrolled in public schools at 17.9 million.

Most of the enrollees came from Calabarzon at 3 million, followed by Central Luzon and the National Capital Region with both over 2.2 million enrollees. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News