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Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok, Khanh Vu in Hanoi, Xinghui Kok in Singapore, Danial Azhar in Malaysia and Kate Lamb in Jakarta; Editing by John Mair and Raju Gopalakrishnan

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Philippines Returns to School, Ending One of World’s Longest Shutdowns

More than two years after Covid emptied their classrooms, students are resuming in-person learning. The lost time will be hard to make up.

By Jason Gutierrez

MANILA — Millions of students throughout the Philippines headed to school on Monday as in-person classes began to fully restart for the first time in more than two years, ending one of the world’s longest pandemic-related shutdowns in a school system already plagued by severe underinvestment.

“We could no longer afford to delay the education of young Filipinos,” said Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also the education secretary, as she toured schools in the town of Dinalupihan, about 40 miles northwest of Manila.

Even before the pandemic, the Philippines had among the world’s largest education gaps, with more than 90 percent of students unable to read and comprehend simple texts by age 10, according to the World Bank.

Schools in the Philippines have long suffered from shortages of classrooms and teachers, whose pay is low, leaving the vast numbers of poor children who cannot afford private schools and rely on the public system with inadequate teaching.

Now, after losing more than two years of in-person instruction, schools face the monumental challenge of educating many students who have fallen even further behind.

Though the Philippines offered online instruction during the pandemic, many students lacked access to computers or internet connections, and overburdened parents often found it hard to keep tabs on their children’s remote learning.

In some cases, students’ already tenuous connection to school may have been severed entirely after so long away.

“As we welcome children back into the classrooms today, let’s remember that this is the first of many steps in our learning recovery journey,” said Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov , the Unicef representative in the Philippines.

In many countries, as the shortcomings of online learning became increasingly well documented — especially for more disadvantaged students — governments elected to send children back to classrooms even as the coronavirus continued to circulate widely.

A World Bank report that examined 35 studies from 20 countries concluded that the longer schools remained closed, the more ground students lost, with potentially far-reaching consequences. “The inequality in learning between advantaged and disadvantaged groups is likely to grow,” the report said , “posing a significant challenge to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.”

Many children simply dropped out. In Uganda, for example, one in 10 students did not report back for classes when they resumed in January after what was one of the world’s longest shutdowns, according to UNICEF .

In the Philippines, government officials and parents were hesitant to reopen classrooms, fearing that schoolchildren could bring the virus back to homes crowded with multiple generations of family members and overtax an already creaky health care system.

Starting in late 2021, the government began to experiment with conducting in-person classes in about 300 schools, but has now begun expanding it to cover all primary and secondary schools. Currently only some schools are in-person all five weekdays; by November, all of the country’s roughly 47,000 schools will be.

Ms. Duterte said the number of those enrolled in the country has hit nearly 28 million children, both in the public and private schools.

Maria Rogas, a mother of three in suburban Bacoor City, south of Manila, said she had mixed feelings about sending her children back to school.

On the one hand, she welcomes the return to normalcy, but on the other, “Covid remains a scary problem.”

Data from the Department of Health shows that only roughly 27 percent of children aged 5 to 11, and about 76 percent of those between 12 and 17, have been fully vaccinated.

To make it easier for children to get their shots, local health officials were encouraged to set up satellite vaccination sites at schools. However, this was not mandated by the government at the national level. Vaccinations remain purely voluntary, and widespread hesitancy is a problem.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who last month ruled out more economically crippling lockdowns amid the pandemic, on Monday stressed that learning was more effective if classes were done physically in schools, but also called on the public to observe proper health protocols.

Ms. Rogas, 43, said her children had been vaccinated, but she still worried. “You never know about this virus, which mutates every so often,” she said.

For now, she said, they were just happy to return to school. “For two years, they only saw their friends and classmates on small screens, so they are excited to interact with them.”

Students return to schools as Philippines set to test new K to 10 curriculum

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DepEd to present the current state of PH education through BER 2023 on Jan. 30 

To give the public and education stakeholders an idea of the current state of Philippine basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd), led by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, will give updates through the Basic Education Report (BER) 2023.

The BER 2023, according to DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa, is a report to be presented to the public which contains the latest assessment of the challenges that the country’s basic education is currently facing.

“In this report, we would like to present to the general public what is the current state of basic education,” Poa told reporters in an interview on Jan. 13.

“We always hear that there are so many challenges in basic education in this report, we will identify the specific challenges of basic education,” Poa said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Aside from this, Poa said that the DepEd will also launch the “Education Agenda” or the plans and initiatives to be undertaken by the current administration to resolve these challenges.

“Once we have presented the challenges, we want to make sure that these will be addressed in the Education Agenda,” Poa said.

For instance, he mentioned perennial problems in basic education resources such as school facilities. “These are the things that we are looking at, supporting the teachers, the normal theme but what we would like to do is to present to you the specific agenda of DepEd so the public can also see what is the direction of DepEd in resolving these challenges,” he explained.

Making every Filipino an 'education stakeholder'

With the scheduled launching of its Education Agenda, Poa said that the DepEd aims to gather more support for education coming from all sectors.

“The thrust of DepEd is to make every Filipino an education stakeholder —we really need a whole-of-the-nation approach,” he said.

Aside from having its partner agencies from the national government and private sector, Poa said that other education stakeholders like parents, learners, and teachers are expected to attend the BER 2023.

“Our goal is that for this year, we should start widening our reach and trying to make every Filipino an education stakeholder,” he said.

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Reimagining Philippine education

Education is our passport to employment and a stable future. Ask any parent about their dream for their child and it will always be: to finish school, earn a diploma, land a job, and lead a good life. A priceless inheritance that no one can take away. However, with many students graduating and lacking the competencies needed for employment, we need to ask ourselves—are we doing enough to prepare learners for the future? Are we equipping them with enough skills to thrive in the workplaces of today and tomorrow?

The passage of the K-to-12 law promised quality education and life-ready graduates, but 10 years into its implementation, challenges remain, keeping us from realizing what was promised.

Many of our senior high school students are not able to find jobs upon graduation. Even those with college degrees face similar challenges, with many of them having to take additional programs to upskill in order to find a job. Worse, students in their early years are not even learning properly.

One in every three Filipino children under the age of 5 are malnourished and stunted, affecting their capacity to learn. So by the age of 10, it is no longer a surprise that 90 percent of our learners cannot even read a simple text.

We also have a long way to go to capacitate our teachers, both preservice and in service. A study by Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) revealed that since 2010, 56 percent of teacher education schools scored below average passing rates in the board licensure examination for professional teachers. And once they are in service, challenges continue to burden them, including administrative work that takes time away from teaching.

Our resources are not enough to support teaching and learning, as we still haven’t met the international recommendations for education budget allocation. We continue to play catch-up in education spending, and we have not yet fully harnessed the resources that the private sector can offer.

These challenges in the education system necessitates work that is coordinated, collaborative, intentional—and with the Filipino learner at the heart of it all. This is precisely why during PBEd’s Higher Education Summit last Feb. 16-17 in Mactan, Cebu, over 80 leaders from the government, industry, academe, and civil society worked together to discuss the most pressing issues in education and employability, and how we can all work together to address them. These hurdles in education governance, early childhood care and development, teaching quality, standards and assessment, as well public-private complementarity keep us from realizing the promise of quality education.

PBEd’s series of higher education summits also speak to the commitment of multiple stakeholders and the power of coordination. Since the first summit in 2013, we have seen various efforts to improve education quality over the years, including the rise in the government industry academe councils in many local governments, as well as stronger involvement of industry associations and sector skills councils in skills development—such as review of curriculum, development of training programs, and work-based training. Collective work of multiple sectors allows for efforts and resources to be aligned, and initiatives to be implemented at scale.

And with the recent convening of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II), we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to reform education. We should seize this moment to act on our promise of providing a comprehensive and responsive education system. We need strong voices to reverberate as we call for policy reforms to address the learning crisis together.

By we, I mean all of us in the community—students, teachers, both public and private sector, and civil society groups. We are the “citizen’s EdCom.”

We need to reimagine a better education for our children, more than just acquiring a diploma. We need to work toward an education system where learners are nourished and supported in the best ways possible, so they can succeed. It takes a whole-of-society approach to empower our youth to achieve their full potential and lead better lives. This is the best gift that we can give our children that no one can take away.

——————

Justine B. Raagas is executive director of Philippine Business for Education. For questions or comments, email [email protected] .

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Rappler Talk: The issues with PH education system and way forward

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MANILA, Philippines – The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) result begs the question: Why do Filipino students continue to lag behind other countries in global education assessments?

Is the Philippine government doing enough to address the learning crisis? What can the public do?

On Wednesday, March 13, Rappler’s Bonz Magsambol sits down with Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II )executive director Karol Yee to talk about the issues confronting the Philippine education system and the way forward.

Tune in to this page at 4 pm or head over to Rappler’s social media accounts to watch the discussion live. – Rappler.com

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Follow our news, recent searches, cna explains: what can we do about the extreme heat across asia - including in singapore, advertisement.

High temperatures have prompted authorities across the region to issue health warnings and forced schools to close.

A man douses himself with water along a street as hot temperatures continue in Manila, Philippines on Apr 26, 2024. (Photo: AP/Aaron Favila)

This audio is AI-generated.

Calvin Yang

Much of Asia - including Southeast Asia - has been baking under high temperatures , prompting school closures as well as authorities across the region to issue health warnings amid heat-related concerns.

The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the region, but conditions this year have been worsened by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

What is happening across Asia? 

In the Philippines, in-person classes have been suspended for two days due to the extreme heat, forcing students to switch to remote learning. 

More than 47,000 public schools are affected. Many have no air-conditioning, leaving students to swelter in poorly ventilated classrooms.

In Thailand, soaring temperatures have led to a record surge in power usage over the weekend. Bangkok's heat index – which measures what a temperature feels like to the human body, taking into account relative humidity – crossed 52 degrees Celsius, and was deemed “very dangerous”. 

The Thai government said at least 30 people have died due to the hot weather this year, compared with 37 heat-related deaths in the whole of last year.

In Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, forecasters warned that mercury levels could exceed 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

Meanwhile in India, some people are queuing up in the sweltering heat to vote in the world's largest election. 

Several states have recorded temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius, and the severe conditions are likely to continue for the next few days. 

In Bangladesh, which is facing its longest heatwave in 75 years, schools have reopened with millions of students returning, despite the lingering heat that prompted a nationwide classroom shutdown order last weekend.

What is causing the sweltering heat? 

The high temperatures recorded in various parts of Asia is a result of climate change and the El Nino weather pattern , which warms ocean waters when it occurs typically every two to seven years, said experts. 

Professor Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, said the underlying cause of extreme weather around the planet is human-induced climate change. 

“Every year when we get to May and June, if we're in an El Nino phase, human-induced climate change will cause the temperatures to always approach records,” he told CNA938 on Monday (Apr 29). 

“The climate community has been warning about this for several years … What needs to happen now is that we need our governments (and) our private enterprises to think about this problem really seriously and urgently, to try and keep people safe.”

What about Singapore? 

The situation in Singapore is not quite the same as the rest of the region due to its location on the equator, said Prof Horton. 

“So when you move further north or south of the equator, you have stronger seasonal extremes. We know in Singapore, our temperature doesn't vary that much during the year,” he added. 

“We're surrounded by ocean water on all sides, and so therefore, that is a cooling effect as well.”

However, Singapore has to prepare for extreme weather conditions , said observers. 

This comes as the island is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world, at 0.25 degrees Celsius per decade, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore.

In tropical Singapore, the mercury hit 37 degrees Celsius on May 13 last year, equalling a 40-year record for the highest daily maximum temperature.

“Unfortunately here in Singapore, when we have periods of cloudless skies in the middle of the afternoon, you're going to have very, very hot temperatures,” said Prof Horton. 

“Therefore, the population needs to be prepared for that, being hydrated, being able to artificially cool themselves with air conditioning.”

Singapore’s greening efforts have helped to make some areas cooler and more comfortable. 

“The greening of Singapore causes very localised changes,” Prof Horton said. “So if you could increase the vegetation … within the city, you would find a natural cooling effect.”

What does the heat do to our bodies, and who is at greater risk? 

Hot days are not only uncomfortable but can also be unhealthy , said experts. 

High temperatures have an impact on the body, which has an average temperature of about 36.5 degrees Celsius. 

The body sweats to stay cool, but if that water loss is not replenished, dehydration will occur. The heart is also forced to pump harder as it tries to regulate the body's temperature.

“We do have thresholds, physiological limits to heat,” said environment, climate and global health professor Kathryn Bowen from the University of Melbourne. 

“We know that the higher the temperature gets, the more our bodies have to work to be able to cope with that heat.”

However, the human body cannot maintain high levels of internal heat for long periods. 

Scorching weather continues across South and Southeast Asia

Schools closed, warnings issued as Asia swelters in extreme heatwave

“Part of the issue that we are seeing now is that overnight temperatures aren't dropping, so they're not allowing our bodies to cool and recover after periods of intense heat. So that's really one of the biggest challenges we have ahead of us,” Prof Bowen, who is deputy director of the Melbourne Climate Futures research institute, told CNA’s Asia First on Monday.

“If we don't see (overnight temperatures) dropping, that will really be catastrophic for human health and wellbeing.”

Heat exhaustion is a common risk when the body overheats, and can include dizziness and headaches.

Prolonged exposure to intense heat can also escalate to heatstroke, when the body's core temperature goes above 40.6 degrees Celsius. The medical emergency, marked by symptoms such as rapid breathing, confusion or seizures, can cause long-term organ damage and death. 

Some groups are at a greater risk of extreme heat problems, including young children, seniors, athletes, and individuals such as outdoor workers and the homeless who are more exposed to weather conditions.

The heat could also affect people with pre-existing health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

The countries that have seen warmer temperatures in recent weeks often have to deal with added problems, including air pollution in many of their urban areas, said Prof Horton.

Besides physical health, the prolonged duration of heat can affect the mental and emotional aspects. 

Heat-related conditions have “massive ramifications” for the healthcare system, particularly in poorer countries that do not have enough medical facilities to treat a large influx of patients, Prof Bowen said.

He added: “We know that with the projections around the increase in intensity and frequency of heatwave events, we must ensure that our healthcare facilities are prepared.”

Bangladesh reopens schools despite heat alert

Danger warning issued for Bangkok as extreme heat bites

How can we prepare for a future of higher temperatures.

Studies have shown that climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense .

Prof Horton said some of the effects of human-induced climate change are not irreversible. 

“We caused it; we can solve it. We have all the technology to do that in terms of renewable energy, in terms of protecting our nature for carbon capture and storage. So we have the power within ourselves to reverse the impacts of climate change,” he added.

“Unfortunately, though, because of the past and current emissions, we're going to have to deal with these types of temperatures for the next decade or so. If we were to take the right actions, our temperatures can be stabilised.”

Prof Horton said developing a warning system is essential because the extreme heat can be deadly for the young, the elderly, and people with pre-existing medical conditions. 

Commentary: A hotter Singapore will change how we work and live

Philippine students suffer in wilting heat, thwarting education efforts

In particular, adapting the environment to handle such climate abnormalities is crucial. This includes reducing the urban heat island effect – a phenomenon where urban areas, which are more built-up and densely populated, get warmer than rural areas.

Some of the ways to tackle this effect include having more open spaces around buildings and using cooler materials such as white roofs. 

In Singapore, studies have shown temperature differences of up to 7 degrees Celsius between urban and less built-up areas. 

Prof Bowen said the world must rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and that richer countries have to take the lead in doing so.

“We must crucially ramp up our mitigation, so that we are not living in a world 50 years from now (where) we'll see three or four times the heatwave events that we are currently seeing now,” she added.

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Dailymotion

Today's headlines: West Philippine Sea, Miami Grand Prix, SB19 | The wRap | May 6, 2024

Posted: May 6, 2024 | Last updated: May 6, 2024

Here are today’s headlines – the latest news in the Philippines and around the world: - Marcos says the Philippines will not use water cannon vs Chinese ships - Marcos says gov’t eyeing shift to old academic calendar in 2025 - Self-confessed gunman in Percy Lapid killing gets up to 16 years in prison - McLaren’s Lando Norris rules Miami Grand Prix for first F1 win - SB19’s new collab song ‘Moonlight’ tops music charts in 9 countries https://www.rappler.com/video/daily-wrap/may-6-2024/

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China publicizes for the first time what it claims is a 2016 agreement with Philippines

FILE - Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4, left, is hit by two Chinese coast guard water canons as they tried to enter the Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, in the disputed South China Sea on March 5, 2024. For the first time, China has publicized what it claims is an unwritten 2016 agreement with the Philippines over access to South China Sea islands. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

FILE - Philippine troops watches a Philippine coast guard ship as they secure an area at the Philippine-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at the disputed South China Sea. For the first time, China has publicized what it claims is an unwritten 2016 agreement with the Philippines over access to South China Sea islands. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — For the first time, China has publicized what it claims is an unwritten 2016 agreement with the Philippines over access to South China Sea islands.

The move threatens to further raise tensions in the disputed waterway, through which much of the world’s trade passes and which China claims virtually in its entirety.

A statement from the Chinese Embassy in Manila said the “temporary special arrangement” agreed to during a visit to Beijing by former president Rodrigo Duterte allowed small scale fishing around the islands but restricted access by military, coast guard and other official planes and ships to the 12 nautical mile (22 kilometer) limit of territorial waters.

The Philippines respected the agreement over the past seven years but has since reneged on it to “fulfill its own political agenda,” forcing China to take action, the statement said.

“This is the basic reason for the ceaseless disputes at sea between China and the Philippines over the past year and more,” said the statement posted to the embassy’s website Thursday, referring to the actions of the Philippines.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Duterte have denied forging any agreements that would have supposedly surrendered Philippine sovereignty or sovereign rights to China. Any such action, if proven, would be an impeachable offense under the country’s 1987 Constitution.

However, after his visit to Beijing, Duterte hinted at such an agreement without offering details, said Collin Koh, senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies based in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and an expert on naval affairs in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly Southeast Asia.

“He boasted then that he not only got Chinese investment and trade pledges, but also that he secured Philippine fishermen access to Scarborough Shoal,” Koh said, referring to one of the maritime features in dispute.

Beijing’s deliberate wording in the statement “is noteworthy in showing that Beijing has no official document to prove its case and thus could only rely mainly on Duterte’s verbal claim,” Koh said.

Marcos, who took office in June 2022, told reporters last month that China has insisted that there was such a secret agreement but said he was not aware of any.

“The Chinese are insisting that there is a secret agreement and, perhaps, there is, and, I said I didn’t, I don’t know anything about the secret agreement,” said Marcos, who has drawn the Philippines closer to its treaty partner the U.S. “Should there be such a secret agreement, I am now rescinding it.”

Duterte, who nurtured cozy relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his six-year presidency while openly being hostile to the United States for its strong criticism of his deadly campaign against illegal drugs.

While he took an almost virulently anti-American stance during his 2016 visit to Washington’s chief rival, he has said he also did not enter into any agreement with Beijing that would have compromised Philippine territory. He acknowledged, however, that he and Xi agreed to maintain “the status quo” in the disputed waters to avoid war.

“Aside from the fact of having a handshake with President Xi Jinping, the only thing I remember was that status quo, that’s the word. There would be no contact, no movement, no armed patrols there, as is where is, so there won’t be any confrontation,” Duterte said.

Asked if he agreed that the Philippines would not bring construction materials to strengthen a Philippine military ship outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal, Duterte said that was part of maintaining the status quo but added there was no written agreement.

“That’s what I remember. If it were a gentleman’s agreement, it would always have been an agreement to keep the peace in the South China Sea,” Duterte said.

House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Marcos’s cousin and political ally, has ordered an investigation into what some are calling a “gentleman’s agreement.”

China has also claimed that Philippine officials have promised to tow away the navy ship that was deliberately grounded in the shallows of the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999 to serve as Manila’s territorial outpost. Philippine officials under Marcos say they were not aware of any such agreement and would not remove the now dilapidated and rust-encrusted warship manned by a small contingent of Filipino sailors and marines.

China has long accused Manila of “violating its commitments” and “acting illegally” in the South China Sea, without being explicit.

Apart from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims in the sea that is rich in fishing stocks, gas and oil. Beijing has refused to recognize a 2016 international arbitration ruling by a U.N.-affiliated court in the Hauge that invalidated its expansive claims on historical grounds.

Skirmishes between Beijing and Manila have flared since last year, with massive Chinese coast guard cutters firing high-pressure water cannons at Philippine patrol vessels, most recently off Scarborough Shoal late last month, damaging both. They have also accused each other of dangerous maneuvering, leading to minor scrapes.

The U.S. lays no claims to the South China Sea, but has deployed Navy ships and fighter jets in what it calls freedom of navigation operations that have challenged China’s claims.

The U.S. has warned repeatedly that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines — its oldest treaty ally in Asia — if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila, Philippines.

Philippines Denies Deal With China Over Disputed South China Sea Shoal

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Coast Guard vessels fire water cannons towards a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File Photo

tpMANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines on Saturday denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda.

A spokesperson at China's embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this year to a "new model" in managing tensions at the Second Thomas Shoal, without elaborating.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday his department was "not aware of, nor is it a party to, any internal agreement with China" since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr took office in 2022. Defence department officials have not spoken to any Chinese officials since last year, Teodoro said in a statement.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Teodoro's comments outside office hours.

Beijing and Manila have repeatedly clashed in recent months at the submerged reef, which Philippines says is in its exclusive economic zone but which China also claims.

The Philippines had accused China of blocking manoeuvres and firing water cannons at its vessels to disrupt supply missions to Filipino soldiers stationed in a naval ship which Manila deliberately grounded in 1999 to bolster its maritime claims.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its claims overlap with those of the Philippines and four other nations. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing rejects.

Teodoro called China's claims of a bilateral agreement "part of the Chinese propaganda", adding that the Philippines would never enter into any agreement that would compromise its claims in the waterway.

"The narrative that unnamed or unidentified Chinese officials are propagating is another crude attempt to advance a falsehood," he said.

(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by William Mallard)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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