As of July 14, one day before the enrollment window closes, 19,888,067 students have enrolled in public and private schools nationwide, data from the Department of Education (DepEd) showed.

Of the total, 18,846,485 were enrolled in public schools and 1,017,290 were enrolled in private schools.

DepEd previously said it expected 27.7 million enrollees for School Year (SY) 2020-2021.

Enrollment was originally sched­uled from June 1 to 30 only. DepEd extended the window up to July 15 to accommodate more enrollees.

Classes in public schools are scheduled to start on Aug. 24. Private schools are allowed to start earlier in coordination with regional DepEd offices.

Distance learning methods will be used in SY 2020-2021, which will utilize internet, television and radio-based learning delivery. John Ezekiel J. Hirro