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Manila, Philippines – On Tuesday, authorities rejected requests for academic recess after the onslaught of typhoons that devastated many areas of the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Education (DepEd) said they understand the plight of many students, but stressed that the issuance of an academic freeze is unlikely as the law clearly establishes the school calendar for each year.
“The academic freeze may be right now, we are asking for understanding, it will not coincide with the law I mentioned. There is a law that says when is the first day of school and some days per school year and when it can be canceled ”, said the Undersecretary of Education, Tonisito Umali.
In lieu of an academic recess, Umali said the department has implemented an “academic facility,” in which students are given flexible time to present the requirements and activities of the distance learning program.
“Now we are giving discretion to our teachers in a time when kids can dedicate to complete it. Expand and simply select the example exercises or activity sheets to be discussed or done, ”he said.
CHED, for its part, said that decisions regarding suspension of classes should be left in the hands of school authorities who know best the situation in their respective areas.
CHED President Prospero De Vera said that a unilateral suspension is not a good policy, as different schools and families were affected differently by the calamities. Decisions on this matter must also be based on what is actually happening on the ground.
Calls for an “academic freeze” came after consecutive strong storms that hit the country in the previous weeks.
Various groups have raised the challenges posed by recent disasters with students and teachers in the midst of implementing distance education programs.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the recent calamities did not have much of an effect on education, as the primary mode of instruction is modular or online learning.
He also said that instead of an academic recess for state universities and colleges, they will only be allowed to extend their school calendars for a week or two.
“And the CHED decision will not allow the academic recess demanded by some. But the decision of the CHED en banc is to extend the universities or colleges that have not been able to attend classes due to the typhoon by one or two weeks so that their semester ends, ”he said.
Several universities have announced one-week class suspensions in light of the impact of typhoons and the mental burden on students and teachers amid the calamity. – RRD (with details from correspondent Asher Cadapan Jr.)
