Guidelines on Enrollment for School Year 2021-2022 in the Context of Continuing National Public Health Emergency Due to COVID-19

JUST IN! DepEd release DepEd Order No, 032, s. 2021 or the Guidelines on Enrollment for School Year 2021-2022

DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2021 or the Guidelines on Enrollment for School Year 2021-2022

The Department of Education issues DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2021 or the Guidelines on Enrollment for School Year 2021-2022 in the context of the continuing National Public Health Emergency due to COVID-19.
These guidelines aim to provide schools various options for implementing an enhanced enrollment process that adheres to the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Office of the President, and the Department of Health (DOH).

Enrollment procedures

To adhere to strict physical distancing measures, DepEd said that enrollment for SY 2021-2022 shall primarily be “administered remotely” particularly in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ and MECQ).

However, DepEd said that parents and guardians may “physically submit” the Modified Learner Enrollment and Survey Form (MLESF) in school as long as these are located in lower risk areas “subject to strict observance of existing health protocols.”

“Teachers and non-teaching personnel of schools who will be assigned to manage the enrollment are preferably vaccinated,” DepEd said. “Schools may facilitate dropbox enrollment method similarly to last school year,” it added.

DepEd noted that the school enrollment focal person (SEFP) shall receive all submitted MLESF and turn these over to grade level coordinators who will then distribute to prospective advisers.

For incoming Grades 1-6, 8-10, and 12 learners, DepEd said that their parents will be contacted by the school preferably through previous advisers for remote enrollment procedures. “However, parents/guardians may also reach out to their child’s adviser for enrollment through the contact numbers published by the school,” it added.

Parents of incoming kindergarten, Grades 7 and 11, are advised to “communicate/re-affirm their intent to enroll their children to a school of their choice via digital and/or physical enrollment platforms established by schools which is similar to procedures in early registration.”

For transferees, DepEd said they should “directly contact” the receiving school through its published enrollment contact details. “Previous adviser is no longer required to facilitate submission of MLESF of learner that is about to transfer to another school,” it added.

Balik-Aral enrollees were directed to contact their preferred schools while ALS enrollees may communicate their intent to enroll via digital and/or physical enrollment platforms established by schools and barangays with community learning centers (CLCs).

Amid the continuing national public health emergency due to COVID-19, Briones said that DepEd “remains resolved to find ways to improve the provision of learning opportunities to all Filipino learners” for the upcoming school year.

Briones said that learning shall continue after concluding the SY 2020-2021 “taking into account the challenges and opportunities encountered as an input to improve education delivery under the prolonged national health crisis.”

Just like in the past school year, Briones noted that the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) shall continue to be the “blueprint and guidepost” of DepEd’s continuing efforts ensuring learning continuity this SY.