Filipino schools reopen after two years of COVID-19 lockdown

Students across the Philippines made the trek to school or logged in Monday for the first time in two years. Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte enforced one of the world’s longest school closures in response to COVID-19. But the government led by new President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. is requiring that schools bring back the country’s 28 million students for in-person classes by Nov. 2. 

What does the school day look like? The Department of Education said some schools have split classes up into two or three shifts of students because of classroom shortages. The country has also been rocked by earthquakes and storms, exacerbating the classroom shortage. Some schools in the hardest-hit areas are erecting temporary structures while others undergo repair. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines struggled with child literacy. A World Bank study last year showed that 9 out of 10 children could not read and understand a simple story by age 10. 

Dig Deeper: Read Lauren Dunn and Onize Ohikere’s report in WORLD magazine on famine and war disrupting classes around the world.