in the Philippines, schools reopen after more than two years of closure

Two years without school. Millions of children returned to school in the Philippines on Monday, August 22, on the occasion of the start of the school year, which for many marked the recovery since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Philippines is one of the latest countries in the world to restart full-time, face-to-face classes.

After the closure of Philippine schools, a program of“blended learning” was implemented using print materials as well as lessons broadcast on television and social media. Ahead of the reopening, the government stepped up its vaccination campaign and said it would make public transport free for all students until the end of the calendar year.

With the reopening of schools, problems from before the health crisis are resurfacing, whether it is the large number of students, dated teaching methods or the lack of essential infrastructure. Even before the pandemic, nine out of ten Filipino children were unable to “to read a simple text and understand it” after reaching the age of ten, explained the World Bank and other agencies in a recent report.