MANILA – Malacañang said there is no need for an “academic freeze” following the onslaught of typhoons that brought heavy flooding and devastation in the country.
“Unang una po, sa ating mga public schools, ‘yung mga eskwelahan na nasa ilalim ng DepEd [Department of Education], tayo po ay nasa blended learning,” Roque said in his virtual presser from Cagayan on Tuesday.
“Ang primary mode of instruction natin po ay modular. So, hindi po masyado nakaapekto dahil wala pong face-to-face classes sa lahat ng ating mga eskwelahan,” he added.
Roque also said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) en banc has decided to extend their academic calendars for state universities and colleges for one to two weeks.
“Pagdating po sa ating universities ay nagkaroon na po ng en banc meeting ang CHED at ang decision po ng CHED ay hindi po papayagan itong academic break na hinihingi ng ilan,” Roque said.
“Ang decision po ng en banc ng CHED ay para mag-extend ‘yung mga pamantasan, kolehiyo na hindi nakapagklase dahil sa bagyo ng 1 or 2 weeks para matapos ang kanilang semester,” he added.
CHED chairperson Prospero De Vera III, in a television interview, said school authorities and local governments should decide on the declaration of class suspension, depending on the situation in their respective localities.
“No to both, especially for the nationwide academic break because the impact of the typhoon and the disasters are different across different parts of the country,” De Vera said in an interview on CNN-Philippines.
“Number two, no also to the Luzon-wide (break) because the universities are already deciding on it,” he added. “We leave that to the school authorities, because different schools and different students and families are affected differently.”
Several universities announced week-long class suspension in light of the impact of the typhoons, problems in distance learning and the mental burden of students and teachers amid the calamity./PN
