Fearing youngsters could catch the virus and infect elderly relatives, President Rodrigo Duterte refuses to lift the restrictions until vaccinations are widespread -- something that could take years.
"I can't do it, it's difficult for me," said Serrano, sitting in his shack next to a polluted river, a photo of him wearing a class graduation gown hanging on the wall behind him.The nine-year-old's science teacher, Kristhean Navales, runs a class over Facebook Messenger but less than half of his 43 students have access to a device.
After class, Navales visits Serrano and other students who are struggling to keep up -- and delivers bags of vegetables to their families.He worries that his students are not learning much and he's frustrated by the government's failure to prepare schools for a return to in-person classes.- Stay-at-home order -
Experts worry many students are falling even further behind and those that have dropped out might not come back to the classroom. The rule was briefly lifted for some children in January but Duterte quickly reimposed it, telling them to watch television instead. "Not being able to see and relate physically face to face with their classmates and friends has had a tremendous impact on the emotional development of children," said clinical child psychologist Maria Lourdes Carandang.Parents and grandparents are also feeling the strain.
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