44,000 college students in SUCs did not enroll – group

As many as 44,000 students from state universities and colleges (SUCs) will not be able to enroll in the coming academic year, according to one group.

The number of non-enrolled is based on a survey conducted by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) on 112 SUCs in the country.

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Many parents have lost their jobs while some are experiencing anxiety on the opening of classes due to COVID-19, according to PASUC president Tirso Ronquillo.

Some students are still dropping out because they cannot keep up with new ways of learning, he said.

“We will again conduct another survey by the end of October, for us to figure out kung ilan talaga ‘yung hindi nakatuloy ng pag-aaral,” Ronquillo said in a Teleradyo interview.

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“Actually, kahit po ngayon sa aming SUC, may mga nagda-drop ngayong mga panahong ito kasi hindi makasabay ‘yong iba,” he added.

Also read: Isabela Colleges student tests positive for COVID-19

44,000 college students in SUCs did not enroll – group

The Commission on Higher Education has encouraged the implementation of flexible learning in universities and colleges as an alternative to face-to-face classes, which has been banned due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

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PASUC, on the other hand, is reviewing the SUC’s policy of accepting international students.

According to Ronquillo, the SUCs should prioritize Filipinos and preferably only cheap courses offered to international students.

It will be recalled that some senators recently criticized the alleged increase in the number of foreigners enrolled in SUCs, which they said were built for the education of Filipinos.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education () earlier reported it achieved 99 percent of the  in , two weeks before the school year opens on October 5.

“We have 14 days until school opening, and we have a lot of good news that is being shared to use when it comes to preparations for the opening of classes,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said during the virtual “Handang Isip, Handa Bukas” press conference.

According to DepEd national data on enrollment, 22.36 million students enrolled in public schools as of September 21. The figures are 99.06 percent of the enrollment in 2019 at 22.5 million.