MARAWI CITY — Najib Sarip, 16, was supposed to be a Grade 7 student this school year had war not broken out here on May 23 last year. ADVERTISEMENTMenial jobsReturning to school was not a priority when they fled to nearby Saguiaran town in Lanao del Sur province, he told the Inquirer. But unlike Najib, Yasser would have to retake Grade 5 as he stopped attending classes months before the war started, according to their school adviser, Salima Tampi. New facesThe new faces belonged to pupils from nearby schools in the main battle zone that had not reopened. Officials said they expected at least 31,000 elementary pupils and high school students to return to school on Monday.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 04, 2018 21:22 UTC