To:     Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau and Service Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Division Superintendents
Public and Private Elementary and Secondary Schools Heads
All Others Concerned

1. With the theme Makapag-aral ay Karapatan Mo, Magpalista, the Department of Education (DepEd) declares January 30, 2016 as the Commencement of Early Registration for the School Year (SY) 2016-2017 in all public elementary and secondary schools to achieve universal participation and completion of the cycle.
2. With the support of local officials, civic organizations, people’s organizations (POs), and the community, a massive advocacy campaign to find children and youth not currently enroled and bring them back to school shall be undertaken from January 30 to February 29, 2016. The Activities in Support of Early Registration and the Registration Process is contained in Enclosure No. 1.
3. The following are the objectives of the early registration:
   1. To ensure that all five-year old children are enroled in kindergarten;
   2. To locate, identify, and enrol out-of-school children and youth who:
      1. are in remote/geographically isolated areas;
      2. are in difficult circumstances;
      3. belong to disadvantaged groups or who suffer from discrimination;
      4. have disabilities or in need of special education; and
      5. have dropped out but would like to go back to school.
   3. To understand the barriers to access to education and identify local solutions or interventions to bring them to school and ensure that they do not drop out.
4. The issuance of this Order aims to strengthen the effort of the Department in providing learner-centered education, and to clarify the provision on Paragraph 1.b of DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2015 as indicated in Enclosure No. 2.
5. Schools are urged to come up with various activities such as house-to-house campaigns or meetings with local and barangay officials, civic organizations and POs to help and locate children who should be in school.  Regional offices and schools divisions offices (SDOs) shall support school campaigns.
6. Expenses related to Early Registration shall be charged to local funds, as appropriate and as authorized, subject to existing accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
7. For more information, all concerned may contact the DeTxt Action Center at telephone no. (02) 636-1663 and (02) 638-8641 or through email at action@deped.gov.ph.
8. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

(Sgd.) BR. ARMIN A. LUISTRO FSC
Secretary

Encls.: As stated

References: DepEd Order Nos. 1 and 16, s. 2015

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
ADMISSION or ENROLMENT
CAMPAIGN
LEARNERS
ORGANIZATIONS
SCHOOLS

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