PASIG CITY, January 25, 2019– The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to open its early registration desks for incoming Kindergarten, Grades 1, 7, and 11 learners in all public elementary and secondary schools from January 26 to February 22, 2019.

The month-long initiative aims to ensure that all new entrants are registered for School Year 2019-2020, and to help the Department to better address and prepare for possible issues and concerns during the enrollment proper.

It also targets to locate, identify, and register out-of-school children and youth in the community who may be characterized as: living in off-grid/far-flung community, a barangay without a school, or a geographically isolated area; displaced due to natural disaster; living in an armed conflict area or area with high level of criminality/drug abuse; living with disability/ies; having chronic illness or nutritional problem/s; victim of child abuse or economic exploitation; stateless/undocumented; in conflict with the law; living on the streets; and no longer in school, and shall be encouraged and assisted to go back through the formal system, Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM), or the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Meanwhile, early registration will be suspended on February 5, Tuesday, in observance of the Chinese New Year pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 555, series 2018 declaring the regular and special (non-working) days for 2019. Registration desks will resume the next day.

Information, advocacy campaigns
Offices in all governance levels are directed to conduct information dissemination and advocacy campaigns to raise public awareness on early registration to be led by the Public Affairs Service, Bureau of Learning Delivery, Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development, and the Bureau of Learner Support Services at the central office.

Regional and schools division offices, meanwhile, shall organize a team that will spearhead the advocacy campaigns. Schools shall designate early registration desks in the school premises to be manned by individuals tasked to handle the registration. They shall also undertake activities such as house-to-house campaigns, dissemination of print materials, social media information campaign, and engagement with parents, barangay officials, civic and people’s organizations, and other stakeholders.

Basic education enrollment policy
The conduct of early registration is pursuant to DepEd Order (DO) No. 3, s. 2018, otherwise known as the “Basic Education Enrollment Policy,” aimed at consolidating the various issuances on enrollment, and institutionalizing a basic education enrollment process.

Rescinding DO 6, s. 2017 or the “Multi-Year Implementing Guidelines on Early Registration,” the policy covers early registration, actual enrollment, Learner Information System (LIS) encoding, and reiteration of policies on collection of fees, among others. It shall likewise guide DepEd offices and personnel involved in enrollment in public and private schools, state and local colleges and universities offering basic education, and ALS centers.

The early registration campaign ensures the right of all school-aged learners to enroll and be equally provided with quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education.

For eligibility and documentary requirements, and additional information, the public may refer to DO 3, s. 2018, DO 20, s. 2018, and DO 47, s. 2016.

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