THE UNITED Nations Children Education Fund welcomed the return of children to school in areas affected by Typhoon Odette and lauded the Department of Education for its efforts to protect learners amid the Covid19 pandemic.

Two years after the pandemic started, DepEd said 4,000 schools have resumed in-person classes.

Among the 4,000, 272 schools are located in areas devasted by ‘Odette’ last year.

DepEd said that limited face-to-face classes are ongoing in 34 schools in Maasin City, Southern Leyte, 51 schools in Caraga Administrative Region and 187 in Central Visayas.

Unicef congratulated the education department as it provided children with access to education and learning which it said is essential for communities to gradually recover.

“We happily welcome children back to school to continue learning, play with their classmates and see their teachers. We heard from many children that they miss being in school and learning new things. We congratulate all the school and local government authorities, parents and community members who continue to support the right to learn of children in the Philippines,” Unicef Philippines Education Chief Isy Faingold said.

After Typhoon Odette damaged numbers of classrooms and thousands of school supplies, the agency, as co-lead of the Education Cluster, provided school and teaching supplies and services in the typhoon affected areas — benefiting 13,891 learners and teaching personnel. It also provided 91 Early Childhood Development for 2,730 children and 48 temporary learning spaces that will benefit 2,400 individuals.

Unicef will also train 100 disaster risk reduction coordinators in Education in Emergencies.

The Unicef Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools Programme also plans to provide small-scale water, sanitation and hygiene repair in 44 schools in Caraga and Southern Leyte. The facilities will be complemented with kick-start hygiene kits and cleaning and disinfection supplies.