The coronavirus pandemic has affected about 4 million out-of-school youth in the current academic year, according to the Department of Education (DepEd). This number is expected to increase, with students unlikely to return to classrooms any time soon and magnified by schools’ apparent lack of readiness to adapt to online and blended learning.

Parents are still uncomfortable about sending their children to school, as they remain concerned about their safety, and their dissatisfaction with online learning and other alternative approaches offered by learning institutions solidified that discomfort.