Schools in Philippines resume face-to-face classes after more than two years

Most schools in the Philippines have reopened for face-to-face classes, after a two-and-a-half-year COVID-19 shutdown. All institutions will resume in-person learning by November. The extended school closure is threatening to worsen basic literacy standards. According to a World Bank report, nine in 10 Filipino children aged 10 struggle to read a simple text.

The Philippines has the second-lowest enrollment rate in primary schools and the second-lowest student access to a teacher across ASEAN, excluding Myanmar in 2018.