One of the longest school closures in the world threaten Philippine workforce quality
- Schools in the country will reopen their doors to students on August 22 after more than two years of shutdown
- Experts say the closure has devastated children’s lack of progress and will likely reduce the competitiveness of high-skilled workers heading abroad
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.
Protracted school closures worsen basic literacy standards and will likely reduce the productivity and earnings of children once they enter the workforce, the World Bank warned in a recent report.
About 10 per cent of Filipinos work abroad and the economy is dependent on remittances sent back by its overseas nurses, teachers and engineers, among other workers. A steady flow of graduates is also essential to the country’s push to establish itself as an outsourcing centre for international corporations and to increasing the number of decent jobs closer to home.
“The impact is huge,” the country’s economic planning chief Arsenio Balisacan said in an interview. “The quality of graduates we produce affects the competitiveness of our labour force.”
