DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2017: Multi-Year Implementing Guidelines on Early Registration

DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2017, dated January 27, 2017, sets the multi-year implementing guidelines on early registration for all public elementary and secondary schools. It fixes the yearly early registration period and lists its objectives. It also explains how schools, schools division offices (SDOs), and regional offices (ROs) should find and register children and youth who are not in school. The order was signed by Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones.

On this page 5 sections

Key points

• When: Early registration runs every year from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February.
• Advocacy campaign: For one month, schools work with local officials, civic and people’s organizations, and the community to find children and youth who are not enrolled and bring them back to school.
• Kindergarten age: Children who will turn five years old by the end of August may register for Kindergarten, as set by DO 47, s. 2016.
• Grade 1: Kindergarten completers are accepted in Grade 1.
• Document needed: The child’s birth certificate. It is submitted once, and it may be submitted later within the school year if it is not available during early registration.
• Learners who dropped out: They present their report card. If it is not available, a certification letter signed by the parent or guardian is accepted.
• Expenses: Costs are charged to local funds, following accounting and auditing rules.
• Effectivity: Starting FY 2017, until repealed, amended, or rescinded.

Objectives of early registration

1. Make sure all five-year-old children are enrolled in Kindergarten.
2. Make sure learners already in school continue their schooling.
3. Map households in all barangays and record potential enrollees of the Alternative Learning System (ALS).
4. Locate, identify, and enroll out-of-school children and youth who:
   • live in remote or geographically isolated areas;
   • are in difficult circumstances;
   • belong to disadvantaged groups or suffer from discrimination;
   • have disabilities or need special education; or
   • dropped out but want to go back to school.
5. Understand the barriers to education and find local solutions so learners come to school and do not drop out.

What schools and offices need to do

Who	Main tasks
Schools	Run house-to-house campaigns and meet barangay officials and local groups. Set up Registration Centers and name the staff who will handle registration. Make sure registered learners come on the opening of classes.
High school principals and staff	Work with barangay chairpersons, student government officers, and scout leaders to find elementary graduates who did not enroll in high school or who dropped out.
Schools division offices	Lead Child or Youth Find activities with LGUs and BCPCs. Hold registration in barangays without schools. Conduct street visits and register street children in coordination with the DSWD.
Division SPED supervisor	Plan and lead the registration of children and youth with special needs, with SPED centers, SPED teachers, and health personnel.
Regional and division offices	Support school campaigns and organize Communications Teams through their information officers or Public Affairs Units.

Full text of DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2017

January 27, 2017

DepEd Order No. 6, s. 2017

Multi-Year Implementing Guidelines on Early Registration

To: Undersecretaries; Assistant Secretaries; Bureau and Service Directors; Regional Directors; Schools Division Superintendents; Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Heads; All Others Concerned

1. Early Registration activities for the incoming school year for all public elementary and secondary schools are held from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February of each year.

   
   

2. With the support of local officials, civic organizations, people’s organizations (POs), and the community, a massive advocacy campaign to find children and youth not currently enrolled and bring them back to school shall be undertaken for one month. The activities in support of early registration and the registration process are enclosed.

   
   

3. The following are the objectives of the early registration:

   • a. To ensure that all five-year-old children are enrolled in kindergarten;
   • b. To ensure that learners who are in school continue their schooling;
   • c. To map households in all barangays and record information for potential enrollees of the Alternative Learning System (ALS);
   • d. To locate, identify and enroll out-of-school children and youth who: (i) are in remote/geographically isolated areas; (ii) are in difficult circumstances; (iii) belong to disadvantaged groups or who suffer from discrimination; (iv) have disabilities or are in need of special education; and (v) have dropped out but would like to go back to school.
   • e. To understand the barriers to access to education and identify local solutions or interventions to bring them to school and ensure that they do not drop out.

4. Schools are urged to come up with various activities such as house-to-house campaigns or meetings with local and barangay officials, civic organizations and People’s Organizations to help locate children who should be in school. Regional offices and schools division offices (SDOs) shall support school campaigns.

   
   

5. Expenses related to Early Registration Day shall be charged to local funds, as appropriate and as authorized, subject to existing accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

   
   

6. These multi-year guidelines shall take effect starting FY 2017, and shall remain in force thereafter unless sooner repealed, amended, or rescinded.

   
   

7. For more information, all concerned may contact the DepEd Action Center at telephone nos. (02) 636-1663, (02) 636-1942, and mobile phone no. 0919-456-0027 or through email at action@deped.gov.ph.

   
   

8. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with this Order is directed.

   
   

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES
Secretary

Enclosure: Activities in Support of Early Registration and the Registration Process

Advocacy Campaign

1. The Regional Offices (ROs) and Schools Division Offices (SDOs), through their respective information officers and/or Public Affairs Units, shall organize Communications Teams, which shall support this campaign.
2. Schools are enjoined to work with parents, local barangay officials, the Barangay Council for the Protection of Children (BCPC), civic organizations, people’s organizations (POs) and other stakeholders.

Child or Youth Find Activities

1. SDOs and schools shall lead the Child or Youth Find Activities, in collaboration with the LGUs and BCPCs.
2. Schools near indigenous cultural communities shall be mobilized to ensure early registration of the targeted enrollees. These schools should coordinate with the Division IPEd Focal Person for support on the curriculum contextualization/culture-based intervention of education for Indigenous Peoples learners. Likewise, street visits shall be conducted by SDOs.
3. High school principals and staff shall work with the chairpersons of the barangay and may also tap the Student Government Organization officials and Boy Scout/Girl Scout leaders to locate elementary graduates who either have not enrolled in high school or dropped out of school so that appropriate program interventions could be planned.
4. Trained SPED teachers assigned to regular schools and all health personnel will assist in locating children and youth with disabilities, from five (5) to 18 years old, who have not been to school. Elementary or high school principals and other trained school personnel shall visit families with children who require special education to assess their educational needs, to be able to plan for providing these children’s educational support and intervention.

Early Registration

1. Age Qualification for Kindergarten. Children who will turn five (5) years old by the end of August (as per DO 47, s. 2016).
   • a. The Kindergarten curriculum is intended to help children who are at least five years old to acquire the values, attitudes and competencies which are known to enable successful and beneficial participation in school learning experiences.
   • b. Private schools are given latitude in implementing basic education as stated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10533, Section 6: “The DepEd may allow private educational institutions flexibility in adopting the program provided that they comply with the DepEd-prescribed minimum standards consistent with the Act.”
2. Qualification for Grade 1. Kindergarten completers will be accepted in Grade 1.
3. Documentary Requirement.
   • a. The birth certificate of the child shall be the documentary basis for early registration. The birth certificate is submitted to the person in charge of handling the registration. There is no need to submit a copy again.
   • b. If not available during the Early Registration period, the document can be submitted within the school year.
   • c. The same document is required for other children and youth who have never been to school.
4. Elementary and high school officials shall identify the Registration Centers (RCs) in the school premises and the individuals who will handle the registration.
5. Each SDO shall identify areas without schools but which may have enrollees, and the SDS shall designate the District Supervisor to work with the concerned Barangay Chairperson so that early registration can be done in the barangay. Likewise, registration of street children who were identified during the street visits shall be conducted by the SDOs. The SDO should coordinate with the DSWD for this activity.
6. Registration of Children and Youth with Special Needs. The Division Supervisor in charge of Special Education (SPED) shall facilitate the overall planning and implementation of the registration process. He/She shall plan with SPED Centers and trained SPED teachers, together with health personnel, on their specific roles in the registration process:
   • a. Conduct an orientation on the screening and identification of children and youth with disabilities in regular schools without SPED programs;
   • b. Network with organizations/associations of people with disabilities (PWDs) or those working for PWDs, including government agencies, which can provide assistance to regular schools;
   • c. Prepare a deployment schedule of SPED teachers, health personnel, and NGO and PWD volunteers during the Early Registration; and
   • d. Communicate possible interventions to the families/parents/guardians of children with special needs during the early registration. This will help convince them to enroll their children in special education.
7. Registration of OSCs and OSYs. Learners who have dropped out from elementary or secondary schools and who want to be enrolled in the formal system through an Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) or the Alternative Learning System (ALS) shall present their report card to the Teacher-in-Charge of the registration. If the report card is not available, a certification letter signed by the parent/guardian can be presented.
8. Elementary and high school officials, SDOs and ROs shall ensure that children or youth registered during this period come to school on the opening of classes in June.

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