Philippine students back to school after more than two years

A teacher sprays alcohol on the hands of students for protection against COVID-19, on the first day of in-person classes at a public school in San Juan City, Philippines, August 22, 2022. (Photo: Reuters)

Hanoi (VNA) - Millions of Philippine students returned to classroomsfor the first time in more than two years, after the country lifted the mostremaining COVID-19 restrictions.

The Philippines, among the worst hit by the pandemic inSoutheast Asia, is one of the last countries in the world to resume full-time,in-person lessons – sparking warnings that the prolonged closure of classroomshad worsened an education crisis in the country.

The prolonged school closures sparked fears that literacyrates among Philippine children – which were already at alarming levels beforethe pandemic – could worsen.

A World Bank study last year showed that about nine of 10children in this nation were suffering from “learning poverty”, the inabilityof children by age 10 to read and understand a simple story./.

VNA