Some countries, such as Britain, have taken an aggressive approach to keeping schools open, even from late spring to early summer, when the Delta variant increased. Although many primary school students and their teachers did not wear masks, the British government focused on other security measures, such as rapid testing and widespread quarantine.
Where schools have long been closed, such as the Philippines, education experts have expressed concern that the pandemic has created a “lost generation” of students, affected by the limits of remote learning and by stretched parents struggling to serve as substitute physics. and literature teachers.
Maritess Talic, 46, a mother of two, said she feared her children had barely learned anything over the past year. Talic, who works part-time as a maid, said she and her husband, a construction worker, had distributed about 5,000 pesos, or about $ 100, to buy a second-hand computer tablet to share with the their children, ages 7 and 9.
But the family, who live in Imus, a suburb south of Manila, do not have consistent Internet access at home. They rely on prepaid internet cards that are constantly running out, sometimes in the middle of their children’s online classes, Ms Talic said. He has also struggled to teach his children science and math with his limited schooling.
“It’s very difficult,” he said, adding that the kids had trouble sharing a device. “We can’t even find enough money to pay the electricity bill, and now we also have to look for extra money to pay for internet cards.”
He said he understood the need to prioritize health before keeping schools open, but feared for the future of his children. “The thing is, I don’t think they’re learning anything,” he added. “Sometimes the internet connection is too slow.”