ZAMBOANGA CITY – Some 780,000 elementary pupils and secondary school students are expected to troop back to school in Western Mindanao when school year (SY) 2010-2011 opens on June 15, it was learned here.

According to Region 9 office of the Department of Education (DepEd 9) Director Walter O. Albos, the projected enrolment – which is 565,576 in the elementary level and 209,581 in high school or a total of 776,157 – represents close to 10 percent more than last school year’s total enrolment of 759,958 in the region’s eight schools divisions.

In his report to Education Secretary Mona D. Valisno, Albos attributed the Muslim-Christian region’s rise in basic education enrolment to two major factors.

First is the growing interest of local parents, especially those in rural communities, to have their children complete both the six-year elementary and four-year secondary education to enable the youngsters to become more productive, more useful and more law-abiding citizens of their community.

Second is the intensified campaign conducted by local teachers and field school administrators to persuade out-of-school children who earlier dropped out from classes for various reasons to go back to school and finish their basic education.

According to Albos, the schools division of Zamboanga del Norte is expected to register the biggest number of projected enrolment in both levels with 200,261.

This will be followed by Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga City, with 172,678 and 170,129, respectively.

The other schools divisions and their respective projected total enrolments, Albos said, are Zamboanga Sibugay with 124,721, Pagadian City with 37,379, Dipolog City with 27,799, Isabela City with 23,106, and Dapitan City with 17,283.