ON April 1, 2016, seventy-nine Kidapawan farmers were unjustly arrested and detained. But did you know that at about the same time, seventy-nine kindergarten pupils of Ateneo de Davao University were barred from enrolment by DepEd Region XI despite being admitted by the Ateneo? According to DepEd, the pupils did not meet the age requirement of five years by June 1, 2016 as provided for under D.O. No. 5 series of 2016. I then wrote a position paper to DepEd on behalf of Ateneo and other schools similarly situated. We received a clarificatory letter from DepEd Undersecretary Dina Ocampo where she stated that the age cut-off under D.O. No. 5 applies strictly to the public school system and that private schools which implement their own curriculum are given the latitude to adopt its admission policies. She further stated that, “if the learner entering kindergarten is below five years of age, DepEd recommends that reliable forms of assessment be performed by the school to ensure that the learner is capable to meet the expectations of the next grade level.’