The bank defines learning poverty as being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. According to its calculations, the bank said this had worsened learning poverty in the country to as high as 90 percent by August. In 2019, or before COVID-19 struck, learning poverty in the Philippines was already at 69.5 percent. Lack of access to the internet and slow connection also hindered remote learning. In contrast, 40 percent of school kids with parents or guardians who had tertiary or college-level education engaged in remote learning.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 20, 2021 06:42 UTC