School closes due to lack of studes; MP enrolment down

By Andrew B. Doga-ong

BONTOC, Mountain Province,  -- A school was closed in Besao town due to lack of students even as the Department of Education  said enrolment in kindergarten, elementary, and secondary public schools in the province declined compared to last year. 

Schools division superintendent Sally Ullalim reported  during the provincial school board meeting last week enrolment this school year decreased in the kindergarten by 9.61 percent, elementary by 2.71 percent, and secondary public schools by 0.38 percent. 

She said enrolment in the province as of June 7 showed  3,103 enrollees in kindergarten; 21,715, elementary and 10,050 secondary. 

Of the 12 school districts of the province, Bauko 1 and Tadian 1 districts increased in enrolment in kindergarten by 3.89% and 3.20% respectively while Bontoc district  increased enrolment by 1.35% in elementary. 

Natonin district had highest decrease of 46.55% in kindergarten while Besao district had highest decrease in elementary by 6.57%. 

Ullalim said a school in Besao was temporarily closed due to lack of student enrollees and that its teachers had to be transferred to schools in nearby Sagada town. 

School officials said that the decreasing school enrollees may be attributed to out migration as well as the result of the family planning practiced by child bearing couples. 

They said that many residents are moving their families to the cities and other areas where they work, and that many couples these days are raising small to medium families. 

The school board suggested that a study be conducted to determine the real cause of the decreasing enrolment in public schools in the province this school year. 

Ullalim also said that out of the 61,000 new teacher allocations for the school year 2013-2014, this province was given 84 position items which were distributed as follows: 15 for the kindergarten; 25 for the elementary; and 44 for the secondary levels. 

She said that bulk of the new teacher position items is assigned to the far-flung eastern municipality of Paracelis where they are needed most.