MISAMIS Oriental Governor Yevgeny Emano is appealing to school administrators in the province to accommodate children displaced by the Marawi City crisis even in the absence of school records upon enrollment.
Emano said affected children must not be deprived of their right to education as they were caught by surprise of the sudden skirmishes between the Maute Terror Group and the government forces over two weeks now.
"They don't want the war. They're innocent civilians sandwiched by the ongoing clashes in Marawi City. They didn't even expect the fighting to happen," Emano said.
The governor said the affected families now staying with relatives or in different evacuation centers could not even think of retrieving documents in the middle of the war.
"I hope our schools in Misamis Oriental would consider them (evacuees) because they're innocent," Emano said.
The capitol's top official said whether the displaced children want to enrol in private institutions or government-run schools, "they should be considered for admission".
Emano also asked the Department of Education to direct school principals and teachers to accept enrollees coming from Marawi City and have their school records and credentials be submitted later once the crisis is over and the clashes subside.
The capitol has so far noted some 17 children enrolled in a school in Opol town.
