More than 800 small private schools have suspended their operations this school year due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
This was disclosed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones as she expressed concern about the inability of the private schools to continue their operations.
“We are very concerned about the inability of very small private schools to continue operating. They have stated… that they are suspending, for the meantime, the opening of their school,” Briones said in a press conference.
“The number already reached about 800 very, very small schools,” the official added.
Briones also said that there are 2,080,000 students enrolled in private schools, which is only 47 percent of the total enrollment recorded last year.
There are also 398,000 students from private institutions who have transferred to public schools.
“We are aware that the interlinkages, the connection, the impact between social and the economic are very, very evident,” Briones stressed.
“What happens in the economy, what happens in the health security, of course affects education,” the Secretary added.