Philippine education at ‘moderate’ risk

The Philippines ranked 72nd out of 100 countries in terms of risk to education, improving 24 spots from the previous year’s rank of 48th place. Based on the youth rights organization Save The Children’s Risks To Education Index, the country scored 0.399 with a reading of “moderate” risk to education. Compared with last year, the country received a score of 0.500 and a reading of “high.” The index values are expressed between 0 and 1, with 1 as the least desirable outcome and 0 as the target. In the first edition of the index in 2021, the report noted that the results reflected the severe impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on children’s education. Therefore, a stark contrast can be seen between the two editions. “The closure of schools due to COVID-19 made the structural and systemic inequalities that affect children and young people in humanitarian settings more visible and much worse. Globally, education systems have never been more vulnerable,” the report said.