The Department of Education (DepEd) in Bohol continues to gather information to figure out the reason behind the failure of 5,000 expected senior high school students to enroll in Bohol public schools for school year 2016-2017.

According to Lope Hubac, DepEd information officer, there were 19,152 public school students who finished Grade 10 or junior high school after school year 2015-2016.

However, only 14,134 senior high school students were recorded to have enrolled in public schools this year.

But Hubac said that it is unlikely that majority of the 5,000 students did not enroll in senior high school as they could have decided to study outside of Bohol or transferred to private schools in the province.

According to information gathered from DepEd supervisors in towns across the province, it is possible that most of the expected 5,000 students have transferred to schools in Tagbilaran City or are enrolled in neighboring provinces such as Cebu or Leyte.

City schools, particularly private schools in Tagbilaran City, have their own list of enrollees which is often late in reaching the DepEd’s provincial office.

The state college and universities, which are not under DepEd but the Commission on Higher Education, are mostly located in the city as well, Hubac said.

Even with the possibility of their enrollment in other schools not under the provincial DepEd’s list, Hubac said that the division will continue to keep looking for the expected 5,000 students who have not enrolled in public senior high schools in Bohol. (with reports from Allen Doydora)