By CESAR JOLITO III

With the opening of classes set for next Monday, June 8, more than 234,000 learners have enrolled in public schools across the Negros Island Region (NIR) during the first two days of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) official enrollment period, signaling a strong turnout ahead of the start of classes.

DepEd-NIR spokesperson Almyr Caezar Dequiña said a total of 234,931 students from kindergarten to senior high school had successfully registered as of 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3.

The enrollment period, which began on Tuesday, June 2, will continue until Friday, June 5.

Education officials expect enrollment figures to increase further as more students complete their registration in the remaining days.

“Our enrollment data is being updated continuously. We’re looking forward to seeing more numbers in the following days,” Dequiña said.

Alongside the enrollment drive, DepEd-NIR is also preparing to address literacy challenges highlighted by recent national assessment results, which indicated that 87 percent of Grade 11 students nationwide were classified as non-independent readers.

Dequiña said the regional office is implementing interventions to improve reading proficiency but emphasized the need for a localized assessment to determine the actual literacy situation among learners.

The planned regional evaluation will help education officials develop targeted programs and strategies based on local data, ensuring that interventions respond to the specific needs of students in the region.

He also clarified that the national literacy findings were based on a sample population and may not necessarily reflect the exact condition of learners in NIR.

DepEd officials said the results of the regional assessment will guide future literacy initiatives as the agency seeks to improve learning outcomes while preparing for the upcoming school year./CCJ, WDJ