At least 20 private schools here applied for temporary closure for School Year 2020-2021.
Bacolod City Schools Division Superintendent Gladys Amelaine Sales said that the schools filed the applications with the Department of Education (DepEd)-Region 6.
Sales cannot name the schools pending approval of their application by DepEd.
The 20 schools include 19 pre-schools and an elementary school.
The reasons cited by these schools are low enrolment and that they are not ready yet for “distance or online learning.”
The schools will resume operation when face-to-face learning will be allowed again.
Sales said there are 157 private schools in the city, and 88 have started classes while 49 are set to start on Oct 5, 2020, together with public schools.
As to the enrolment in public schools, Sales said “it is nearing 100 percent”.
The estimated number of enrollees for this year is 109,000.
Sales said the enrolment in public schools from Kinder to Senior High School has now reached 108,000.
Sales further said they have noted a 25 percent increase in the Senior High School enrolment in public schools.
She attributed the increase to transferees from private schools.
(Dolly Yasa via The Daily Guardia (TDG), photo by TDG)