The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Negros Occidental started classes in all its 576 schools, with an estimated 325,000 learners, without major concerns June 16.
DepEd-Negros Occidental supervises schools in the province’s 19 municipalities and the component city of Talisay.
In a statement, Schools Division Superintendent Anthony Liobet said they thoroughly implemented preparations for the opening of classes despite the challenges brought by the eruption and continued unrest of Mt. Kanlaon.
“We hope that this year will be productive for all, especially our learners. The learning of our children is the most important goal we must strive for – against all odds,” he added.
For learners in Kanlaon-hit areas in La Castellana town, the DepEd activated temporary learning spaces and alternative delivery modes, and provided learning kits and psychosocial support.
“The successful opening of classes reflects the shared commitment of all stakeholders to ensure that education continues even in times of crisis,” Liobet said.
Over the weekend, internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the two affected local government units decamped the public schools they have been occupying since the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Dec. 9, ahead of the opening of classes.
These include 1,989 IDPs, including the initially reported 1,574 individuals, 897 of those in La Carlota City, and 677 from La Castellana, specifically barangays Mansalanao and Sag-ang.
IDPs from two more villages in La Castellana, including 244 from Biak Na Bato and 171 from Barangay Masulog, have also decamped.
Those who left the school-based evacuation centers either returned home or moved to relocation sites outside the 6-km. permanent danger zone.
In a memorandum dated June 8, assistant secretary Cesar Idio, deputy administrator for operations of the Office of Civil Defense, directed the Regional Task Force Kanlaon and concerned member-agencies to conduct the immediate vacating of school-based evacuation centers, including four schools in La Castellana and two schools in La Carlota City in Negros Occidental, and prepare the classrooms for academic use.
He also instructed them to facilitate the safe relocation of evacuees sheltered in the school facilities.
Meanwhile, at least 80 percent of learners in public schools in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, attended classes as the new academic year (AY) opened Monday.
Officer-in-charge, Dr. Juditha Mapue, assistant schools division superintendent of DepEd Dumaguete, said that some parents were still enrolling their children for AY 2025-2026.
“It is difficult yet to determine the number of enrollees based on the LIS (Learner Information System) as this needs validation, but based on classroom headcount, we can estimate the learners that are already in school,” Mapue said. “The number is still expected to increase a bit in the next week or so.”
The LIS is a DepEd online platform for managing student information and is a centralized database system for learners.
Mapue said the first day of classes was generally peaceful, based on the observations of DepEd officials who made the rounds of schools in Dumaguete.
Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office spokesperson, Lt. Stephen Polinar, also reported “full deployment on the ground”.
“We realigned our personnel so that as much as possible, 85 percent will be on the ground while 15 percent will be assigned to office work,” Polinar said. | PNA
