(MANILA) Millions of children returned to school in the Philippines on Monday as the school year resumed, many marking a recovery from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted at 12:02 a.m.
The Philippines is one of the latest countries in the world to restart full-time, in-person classes, as the prolonged closure of classrooms raises fears of a worsening education situation in the country, already in crisis.
After schools in the Philippines were closed, a “blended learning” program 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.
On Saturday, the government allocated cash to students and parents to help with expenses, leading to scenes of disorder outside distribution centres.
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 not able “to read simple text and understand it” after reaching the age of ten, the World Bank and other agencies explained in a recent report. .
Only 10 countries had a more serious situation, including Afghanistan, Laos, Chad and Yemen.