PALO, Leyte- Leyte schools division superintendent Ronilo Al Firmo said that they are bracing for possible increase of enrollment in public schools this incoming school year. Firmo said that the expected increase of students in public schools could be due to transfer of several students previously enrolled in private schools.
The education official said that he met with some parents whose children were enrolled in private schools who told him that they plan to transfer their children to public schools this incoming school year due to financial difficulties. Firmo said that some of these parents either lost their employment or their business establishments ceased to operate as an aftermath of supertyphoon Yolanda. Last school year, more than 140,000 students from elementary and secondary levels were enrolled in public schools across the province. Students are to return to school on June 2. With an expected increase of enrollment in public schools, Firmo said that he instructed the school principals to prepare for this situation. According to him, he instructed the school principals to preserve the temporary learning spaces while the repairs of damaged school buildings are on-going to cater the expected influx of transferees from private schools. Firmo also announced that the division hired an additional 346 new teachers to beef up its current number of teachers. (LIZBETH ANN ABELLA)
