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Coronavirus pandemic
AsiaSoutheast Asia

In the Philippines, students suffer as Covid-19 school shutdowns drag on

  • Most students do no have a computer or internet at home, leaving them unable to access online classes and lessons broadcast over social media
  • President Rodrigo Duterte refuses to lift restrictions on schools, fearing youngsters could catch the virus and infect elderly relatives

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Filipino student Maria Fe Morallos does her schoolwork inside her home in an informal settlers area in Malabon City, suburban Manila. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Pressein Manila

Andrix Serrano studies alone inside a Manila slum shack he shares with his street-sweeper grandmother. Like many in his fourth-grade class, he has no internet for his closed school’s online lessons.

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A year after the coronavirus pandemic sent the Philippines into a months-long lockdown, classrooms across the country remain empty and children are still stuck at home.
Fearing youngsters could catch the virus and infect elderly relatives, President Rodrigo Duterte refuses to lift the restrictions until vaccinations are widespread – something that could take years.
A “blended learning” programme involving online classes, printed materials and lessons broadcast on television and social media was launched in October, four months after the school year was supposed to start. It has been plagued with problems: most students in the Philippines do not have a computer or internet at home.
Children play in an alley at an informal settlers area in Malabon City, suburban Manila. Most students in the Philippines do not have a computer or internet at home. Photo: AFP
Children play in an alley at an informal settlers area in Malabon City, suburban Manila. Most students in the Philippines do not have a computer or internet at home. Photo: AFP
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“I can’t do it, it’s difficult for me,” said Serrano, sitting in his shack next to a polluted river, a photo of him wearing a class graduation gown hanging on the wall behind him. “It’s fun in school. It’s easier to learn there.”

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