The Philippines will reopen up to 120 schools for limited in-person classes for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in a pilot approved by President Rodrigo Duterte, officials said.

While nearly every country in the world has already partially or fully reopened schools for face-to-face lessons, the Philippines has kept them closed since March 2020, according to AFP.

“We have to pilot face-to-face (classes) because this is not just an issue for education, it's an issue for the children's mental health,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque told reporters.

“It's also an issue for the economy because we might lose a generation if we don't have face-to-face (classes).”