Economics

Years of Covid School Closures Leave Philippines With Deep Scars

  • Full reopening of state schools not planned until November
  • Disruption risks hitting economy reliant on skilled migrants
Volunteers arrange textbooks at an elementary school in Manila on August 5 ahead of reopening.Photographer: Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

On Aug. 22, schools in the Philippines will finally reopen their doors to students after two and a half years – one of the longest pandemic-induced school closures in the world.

As well as devastating the individual prospects of countless children, the extended hiatus is threatening to leave long-term scars on an economy historically reliant on sending high-skilled workers abroad.