ILOILO – The shutdown, either temporarily or permanently, of 72 private schools in Western Visayas for school year 2022-2023 displaced 261 teachers and 1,421 learners, data from the Department of Education (DepEd) showed.
Here is the breakdown of the 72 private schools per Schools Division Offices (SDOs) with corresponding numbers of teachers and learners affected:
* Aklan – six schools (121 learners, 18 teachers)
* Antique – nine schools (399 learners, 35 teachers)
* Bacolod City – eight schools (36 teachers)
* Bago City – one school (one teacher)
* Cadiz City – one school (17 learners, three teachers)
* Capiz – nine schools (192 learners, 21 teachers)
* Guimaras – nine schools (14 teachers)
* Iloilo – 11 schools (376 learners, 47 teachers)
* Iloilo City – three schools (14 learners, 10 teachers)
* Kabankalan City – one school (nine learners, one teacher)
* Negros Occidental – seven schools (139 learners, 32 teachers)
* Passi City – three schools (86 learners, 18 teachers)
* Silay City – one school (13 learners, two teachers)
* Victorias City – three schools (55 learners, 21 teachers)
Additionally, of the 21 SDOs in the region, 14 reported private school closures.
According to Hernani Escullar Jr., DepEd Region 6 information officer, low enrollment turnout made it untenable for private schools to sustain their operation.
“Waay nila na-reach ang number of enrollees nga maka-meet sang ila financial needs,” said Escullar in an exclusive interview with Panay News.
Parents likely transferred their children to public schools to cope with the adverse financial effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, said Escullar.
Other private schools cited the severe damage their facilities sustained from Typhoon “Odette” in December last year as reason for deciding not to operate, he added.
Last week, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 6 coordinated with DepEd-6 to obtain further details regarding the displaced teachers. However, the kind of assistance DOLE can extend is yet to be determined, said Escullar.
Displaced teachers may apply to public schools, but their hiring would depend on their qualifications, he clarified.
Escullar also stressed there won’t be “special treatment” in the hiring process “kay ti unfair man sa iban. They have to go through the process as stated sa aton recruitment and selection procedures allowed by law.”
As for the displaced learners of private schools, the regional information officer said DepEd would be helping in their transfer to public schools.
Data from the DepEd central office showed a total of 2,233,946 enrolled learners in Region 6 for school year 2022-2023./PN
