Philippines to launch pilot plan to resume face-to-face learning

FILE PHOTO: Annie Sabino, 16, a grade 9 student, completes her school work next to her dog, while tending to her family's sidewalk eatery beside their home, as schools remain closed during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Manila, Philippines, January 6, 2021./File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the resumption of face-to-face classes in areas deemed low risk for COVID-19, with up to 120 schools to join a two-month pilot reopening run, his education minister said on Monday.

The Philippines is among 17 countries globally where schools have been closed for the entirety of the pandemic, according to a report https://www.reuters.com/world/unicef-calls-schools-reopen-pandemic-hit-nations-2021-09-16 last week by the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, highlighting what it called "18 months of lost learning".