Thousands of children in the Philippines returned to their classes today for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic under a pilot school reopening program.
At a time when schools in almost every country in the world have reopened, in part or in full, the Philippines has been closed since March 2020.
Zirex Damayo, a kindergarten teacher, said he felt “a little anxious” expecting to welcome eight of his students to Cebu Island. “I thought some people would cry. But everything was done calmly and we had no problems,” he added.
About 100 schools, out of a total of more than 61,000, have been selected for the two-month pilot program, which is expected to be extended in the coming weeks, an education ministry official explained.
Many of these schools are located in remote areas, in the mountains or on islands.
“I can not guarantee that it will be 100% successful, but based on our estimates we have high hopes that the pilot program will be successful,” Education Minister Leonor Briones said last week.
The children of the kindergarten and the first three grades of elementary school as well as those of the high school participate in the pilot program.
The number of students in each class has decreased, as has the time they will spend in the classrooms, while strict rules will apply, such as the use of a mask, hand washing and keeping distance.
The “mixed learning” program – which includes online lessons, print and TV and social media lessons – will continue.
According to Oliver Sanchez, a high school student in Navotas City, most parents want their children to go back to school.
“I think they are tired of teaching their children,” he explained.
Nearly 30% of the 110 million people in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against covid-19, with 70% in Manila.
More than 2.8 million cases of covid-19 have been reported in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, with the number of daily infections declining in recent weeks.
Unicef ​​and many educators are increasingly calling for children to be sent back to school, fearing that prolonged school closures will exacerbate the country’s education crisis.
Young Filipinos aged 15 are at the bottom of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) list in terms of reading, math and science performance.
Most students go to public schools, where there are many students in each class, the teaching methods are outdated, there is no investment in basic infrastructure, such as toilets, factors that explain the backwardness of Filipino students, and poverty.
SOURCE: AMPE
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Source From: Capital
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