data in recordset is from two tables
is this a valid statement?:
if (isset($row['table1.education']) != "") {
$query .= " WHERE table1.desiredcountry LIKE '{$row['table2.desiredcountry']}'";
}

No.

how can I distinguish between table 1 and table 2 since they have the same name?

Sorry, I didn't complete the last thought. First of all, I don't know php so
I'm not sure what the $row before the table2.desiredcountry is for. If you are
looking for an exact match between the two tables, then you should not be using
a LIKE operator. Either join the tables in the Where clause using the =
operator, or put them in the join condition in the From clause.
But distinguishing same name columns by qualifying with the table name is
correct.