MAJORITY of parents prefer modular learning modality for their children for the coming school year, based on a survey conducted by the Department of Education.

DepEd’s Learner Enrollment Survey Forms data showed that 8.8 million parents prefer modular, 3.9 million blended, 3.8 million online, 1.4 million educational TV, 900,000 radio-based instruction and around half a million prefer other modalities.

LESF data also revealed that 395,743 learners from private schools and state universities and colleges and local universities and colleges have transferred to public schools.

“We are grateful to all parents who participated in the survey and expressed support to DepEd’s Learning Continuity Plan,” DepEd said in a statement. “Let us allow our learners to continue learning while we protect their health and well-being.”

LESF was the main enrollment tool used for the remote and dropbox enrollment for the school year 2020-2021.

The tool is an expanded version of the regular enrollment form which captures not only the basic profile of learners but also relevant survey questions for parents designed to profile the household in terms of their readiness for distance education.

LESF captures the following vital information that will provide DepEd with evidence in making the implementation of its Learning Continuity Plan grounded on data: i) employment status of parents or guardians, ii) manner of going to school of learner, iii) number of learners in every household, iv) presence of household members that can provide instructional support in distance learning, v) availability of gadgets and devices, vi) access to internet, vii) preferred learning modality, viii) challenges that may affect learning in distance mode and ix) number of private school learners who enrolled in public schools.

These data and information were used by every region and school division in designing their respective learning continuity plan particularly in making decisions on what learning modalities will be implemented.

These data were also used in determining the budget requirements for the LCP particularly on the requirements for learning resources.

Meanwhile, the DepEd data showed that as of 8 a.m. 30 July, enrollees have reached 22,360,089 for Kindergarten to Grade 12, including those in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and non-graded learners with disabilities. The figure is 80.4 percent of the total number of enrollment in the previous school year, which was 27.7 million.

Of that number, 20,952,512, or 92.8 percent of the number in the school year 2019-2020, enrolled in public schools while 1,373,362 (31.9 percent of the previous year) registered in private schools.