Published: Less than 20 min ago
Millions of children in the Philippines returned to school on Monday as the new school year began. For many of them, it was in place in classrooms for the first time since before the pandemic.
The Philippines is one of the last countries in the world to fully resume on-site teaching in schools.
Children wearing school uniforms and masks had to queue for temperature checks and hand sanitisers before being admitted to Pedro Guevara Elementary School in Manila, which closed its classrooms in March 2020.
“Fun again”
The school, with 6,000 students, has, like many others, applied a system of mixed classroom and distance learning since November last year.
– We used to have fun and now I can have fun again, says eleven-year-old Sophia Macahilig, who for two years has only seen her teachers and classmates via Zoom.
But many students have a lot to catch up on.
Even before the pandemic, nine out of ten Filipino 10-year-olds “could not read a simple text with understanding”, according to a report that, among others, is behind the World Bank. Only ten countries are judged to be worse off.
Problems remain
And when classroom teaching resumes, old problems remain. Large classes, outdated teaching methods, poverty and a lack of basic infrastructure – such as toilets – have been blamed for contributing to the education crisis.
Ahead of the reopening of schools, the government has increased vaccination initiatives and school children will be allowed to travel for free on public transport for the rest of the year.
On Saturday, distribution of cash assistance to needy schoolchildren and parents began, leading to chaotic scenes in several places. In the city of Zamboanga, 29 people were injured when several thousand tried to force their way through the gates of a high school.