OF THE COUNTRIES in Asia, the Philippines was the hardest hit in terms of education, according to the United Nations Children’s Education Fund.

UNICEF Philippines Education chief Isy Faingold said that the Philippines had the longest school break because of the pandemic.

Faingold recently attended a hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

He said that the Philippines’ education sector was most affected because schools were closed longer than those in other countries.

“The school break is longer and other countries did not have that. The other reason is the school closure for in-person learning is longer and more severe than the rest of the countries,” he told senators.

The UN official also pointed out that the Philippines is the only country that has not resumed face-to-face classes.

“The Philippines is the only one that maintained school closure for almost a year and haven’t tried yet the partial reopening,” Faingold said.