Numbers of students attending school declining

Raynold Mechol, Chief of Division of Research & Evaluation in an interview on Monday said that for two years there is a decline of fewer than 3,000 enrolling for High school and Elementary.Classes for public school started last week and Mechol said they are expecting a total number of enrollees of 2,900 including private school.“Last year we have a total of 2,900 students that enrolled from all levels, from grade one to 12th grade and we are also expecting the same this year although we don’t have the complete data yet because the private school have not open their classes yet,”he said.Mechol said there are various factors why the trend continues to decline and one of these factors is the decline of Birth Rates in Palau.“Birth Rate is a national issue. We can’t do anything about it. It’s up to our national leaders to find some strategies to address this issue. Maybe encourage more population or promote more children in the family, More Palauans don’t like to have more children maybe because of the economic crisis. It’s now very expensive to raise a child,”he said.