THE UNITED Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund  is pushing for the resumption of face-to-face learning as soon as possible to uphold the quality of education.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, the organization expressed fear that the continuation of school closures will lead to permanent school dropouts and more cases of abuses.

“The longer students are out of the classroom, the less likely they are to return — and the higher the risk of child labor, child marriage, early pregnancy, violence and abuse,” UNICEF said.

“Children must resume in-person learning as soon as possible,” it added.

The organization said that “support to get children’s education back on track is vital.”

However, it said that 1 in 3 countries where schools are or have been closed due to the pandemic is not taking any action to help students recover lost learning.

The Philippine government only allowed medical courses in college to resume face-to-face classes.