BACOLOD City – There will be no regular in-person classes in the opening of the semester this coming August, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) clarified.
CHED chairperson Prospero de Vera III issued this statement over the weekend after he was supposedly misquoted by Rappler online news website when he said they were ready for the class opening.
“CHED wants to make it very clear that higher education institutions (HEIs) will open the semester in August using flexible learning mode. There are no regular face-to-face classes in August,” De Vera said.
According to De Vera, Rappler failed to provide the full context behind his remarks, adding that netizens proceeded on bashing and accusing CHED and the government for being “insensitive” and “uncaring” for the health and safety of students.
“Without stating the proper context, the Rappler article made the readers who did not watch the CHED HiEd Press Conference believe that CHED is pushing for the opening of ‘regular’ classes by August despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” De Vera said.
“The context behind the said quote is that the Commission recognizes the bayanihan spirit of the HEIs to help other HEIs, especially those in far-flung areas to prepare them for flexible learning when classes resume in August,” he added.
Under CHED’s guidelines, the agency defines flexible learning as the “design and delivery of programs, courses, and learning interventions that address learners’ unique needs in terms of place, pace, process, and products of learning.”
It noted that this also involves the use of digital and non-digital technology and could cover both in-person learning and out-of-classroom learning modes./PN
