A staff member conducts a fogging operation against the rise of dengue fever at an elementary school in Manila on August 12, 2022, ahead of the schools' reopening on August 22. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/ AFP)
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.
