Full return to in-person classes another milestone in learning recovery

MANILA, 2 November 2022 – UNICEF Philippines urged the Philippine government to keep the momentum on learning recovery as classes go on full face-to-face modality today. Since the first day of the new school year in August, children in preschool and basic education have gradually returned to school to learn and interact with their teachers and classmates. According to a recent Social Weather Survey (SWS) commissioned by UNICEF, around 94 per cent of `Filipinos were satisfied with the process of school reopening.

UNICEF lauds the Department of Education for implementing the RAPID framework for learning recovery promoted by the UN and the development community. Some regions have conducted rapid literacy assessments, more non-teaching staff are being recruited to ease the burden of administrative work on teachers, and dedicated sessions are being conducted to focus on children’s reading and comprehension.

“The decisive action of education authorities to start school and ensure full face-to-face learning are milestones in our learning recovery and will allow to further improve foundational skills such as reading, writing and basic numeracy. Building on these foundational skills will help us inch closer to a resilient education system that leaves no one behind,” UNICEF Philippines Representative Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov says.

To sustain these gains, UNICEF urges that more effort should be done to reach the most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities and children living in disaster-prone areas. Some 70 percent of public schools do not have the minimum facilities, provisions and practices for safe water supply, adequate toilets and hygiene education. Addressing children’s mental health and psychosocial needs, strengthening protection measures to prevent sexual abuse, and engaging parents and caregivers are also important. Children 3-4years old attending pre-school need significant support to be ready to enter formal school.

UNICEF’s Education Programme supports the Department of Education, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council and the Bangsamoro Region’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) and the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD). The partnership includes development of learning materials in science and math, capacity building of teachers, early identification and referral of children with disabilities, and repair of schools or provision of temporary learning spaces in areas hit by typhoons, among others.

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children in the Philippines, visit www.unicef.ph.

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