THOUSANDS of students have transferred from private to public schools for the academic year 2020-2021, according to the Department of Education.

DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said in an online press briefing that “the Covid19 pandemic resulted in higher unemployment rate, with more than 3,000 students transferring from private to public schools as parents can no longer afford the higher tuition fees in private schools.”

“Dun sa mga private school ay marami pa ang hindi nakapag-enroll at malaking bilang ang nag-transfer sa public schools,” said Undersecretary Revsee Escobedo.

He mentioned though about the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GATSPE) Act for private schools.

Through Republic Act 6728, GATSPE was created for the creation of funds for the purpose of subsidizing the salary of private school teachers.

Meanwhile, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones has reportedly requested the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to include private schools in the assistance programs of the government.

This developed as Cavite Governor Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla cited that more than 100 private schools have closed in his province due to lack of enrollees.

Around 7 million students have yet to enroll, although the DepEd said it would still accept enrollees until the opening of classes on August 24 this year.

However, DepEd also offers the Alternative Learning System (ALS) for students who cannot enroll until the opening of classes. According to the department’s website, ALS is a parallel learning system in the country that provides a practical option to the existing formal instruction when one does not have or cannot access formal education in schools.