The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Monday the extension of enrollment for the school year 2010-2011 in all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide until June 29 to encourage all schoolage children to go to school and attract out-of-school youths (OSYs) to resume their studies.

Education Secretary Mona Valisno said there are as many as 10 million school-age children and teenagers who have dropped out of school. “Through the extended enrollment period, we want to give them an opportunity to go back to school,” she said.

For this school year, the enrollment period was supposed to have ended on June 15, when classes resumed, but DepEd decided to extend the registration of students to give the parents – who did not have the time and resources – enough time to enroll their children and would also encourage OSYs who wish to go back to school and continue their studies.

“We want to accommodate everyone who wants to go to school and give them a chance to learn,” Valisno said.

Through DepEd Order No. 85, s. 2010, Valisno stated that the “acceptance of said enrollees shall be without prejudice to the implementation of the applicable DepEd rules and regulations on the documentary requirements for enrollment, maximum allowable absences, and make-up classes, among others.”

Valisno also reminded all public school heads to be liberal in their admission and accept even those who have incomplete records or documents. “It is our goal here to admit as many students as we can, regardless of their previous school records or status,” she said.

For the OSYs, Valisno assured the public that the DepEd will be ready with placement tests. “This is required in order to determine at what grade or year level the OSYs could be absorbed back into the formal education system in public schools,” she explained.

Still according to her, the DepEd’s National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) has already prepared the placement tests that will be given in schools. The NETRC was set up by Valisno in the late 1970s when she was still a DepEd career officer and as founding director, she was responsible for the formulation of the first series of Philippine Education Placement or “PEP” tests. “These enabled OSYs to re-enter the formal education system, either at the high school or college level,” she said.

Meanwhile, Valisno appealed to public school principals and teachers to be more innovative and creative to ensure that they can accommodate all those who wish to enroll.

Despite the concerns that additional enrollees would add up to number of students in overcrowded classrooms, Valisno said that the schools heads and teachers have no reason to refuse anyone. “We have a menu of teaching methods that they can apply. Also, there are various means our school heads can do to  manage large school populations,” she explained.

Reports say that the average classroom-student ratio in most schools is 1:50. In the National Capital Region (NCR) schools alone, almost 80 students per shift stay in one classroom.

Despite these concerns, Valisno is confident the schools can handle it and urged school heads to work with the community and the private sector to deal with the extended enrollment.

“We are currently fighting to maintain high participation and completion rates among students in public schools through several programs like the Open High School Program, the Effective Alternative Secondary Education, and the Schools-Initiated Interventions,” said Valisno.

Alternative delivery modes like the Modified In-School/Out-School Approach, parent-assisted learning, and multi-grade education are also available. For OSYs, Valisno said they will be given the accreditation and equivalency test under the DepEd’s Alternative Learning System to get them back into the formal education system.

The extended enrollment is part of DepEd’s means in attaining the Education for All (EFA) targets set under the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations for 2015.

Valisno also warned school officials who will violate DepEd order and refuse to accept students that “they shall be strictly dealt with administratively.”