December 18, 2020 | 12:15 am Font Size AAA A TEACHER in Dagat-Dagatan Elementary School reviews a recorded video lesson to be used for a distance learning program of the Department of Education. — PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS By Reporter CLASS SIZES at private schools are shrinking, which in normal times might be taken as a mark of quality because they imply lower student-to-teacher ratios. However, the underlying reason is far more disturbing: students are dropping out because many parents have suffered setbacks to their livelihoods and can no longer afford tuition. In response, private schools have asked for aid to help students pay for school fees, a big ask in the middle of a pandemic when the government is committing every last possible peso to containing the coronavirus.