According to Tabeleual, the school has a lot of students this year that they had to turn down some of them. He added that they maintain the 19 teachers to one student ratio, so they had to let some students go.
At the opening of classes on Monday, all 582 students of KES, the biggest public elementary school in Palau, assembled for the first-day orientation. KES has 30 classrooms for the entire school, from first to eighth grade.
“This is a great weather for first day of classes,” Tabelual said. “We just had our orientation, reminding them of the rules and regulation of the school. Most kids, because we have been doing this for so long, already know what to expect. But for first graders, it’s going to take a while for them to adjust.”
KES has 84 first graders enrolled for this school year. It has four sections each for first to fifth graders and three sections each for sixth to eighth graders.
“More students are hard on the teachers as well as on the students,” Tabelual explained.
For those who were turned down because they could no longer be accommodated were asked to check with other schools if there are still available slots.
“Or we ask them to wait until the second quarter, if some kids were moved. If that happens and the parents are still interested and we have a slot, then we accept them,” Tabelual said. “It’s a first come, first served basis. It’s not who you are, if you come on time, then we will accommodate you. There’s no preference.”
KES has 52 employees, 34 of which are teachers.
Tabelual said they manage the school well, thanks to his staff. “They are really the key people in this school. They run the show. They do their things. What I really do is just support them. I’m blessed with a good staff,” he said.
Aside from little maintenance things, Tabelual said they don’t have any problems in school. “We couldn’t ask for anything more. The school supplies and instructional materials are here now. There’s no shortage on textbooks. Everything is going well,” he said.
