170,000 students are back to school in Cebu City

• Source:http://www.mb.com.ph/170000-students-are-back-to-school-in-cebu-city/
• Monday, June 13, 2016

By Mars W. Mosqueda Jr.

Cebu City – Even with the perennial problem of late enrollees, overcrowded classrooms, and crying first-graders, the opening of classes in Cebu was reportedly generally peaceful and orderly yesterday, Monday.

At least 170,000 elementary and high school students in Cebu City trooped to different public schools here for the first-day rush, with hundreds of policemen deployed in various campuses.

Across Region 7 (Central Visayas), over 3,000 police personnel were on duty to help secure the opening of classes. Force multipliers like barangay tanods assisted policemen in this task.

Senior Inspector Luz Langbid, Deputy Chief of the Police Community Relations Branch of the Cebu City Police Office, said public assistance desks were opened in schools yesterday.

The Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu City District earlier assured that everything was ready for the influx of students.

“We have long prepared for the opening of classes and I have asked teachers to be extra patient (yesterday, Monday) because schools are expected to accept more enrollees within the week,” said DepEd Cebu City District Superintendent Bianito Dagatan.

This school year is different from previous ones because of the full implementation of the K-to-12 basic education program. The program covers 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for college or tertiary education.

“We are now offering Grade 11, the additional feature of our basic education system,” Dagatan said.