While the struggle with online classes has hardly left the table, wait till you hear what else is getting canceled: summer and holiday breaks, and even weekends aren’t safe.
This is after the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairperson Prospero de Vera said on Friday that universities and colleges are free to adjust their academic calendars to address the ongoing pandemic. According to De Vera, students are “not going home. They’re already at home” for the holidays, CNN reported.
CHED is also in favor of removing summer break and holding more classes on the weekends, citing that “everything now is done on a flexible manner.”
“Isa pa kasing worry ng mga schools is ’yung may summer break. Eh di, tanggalin mo yung summer break, mag-two semesters ka ng school year, no more summer,” De Vera also told reporters.
This is because, according to De Vera, colleges and universities are free to adjust their academic calendars to “ease” in distance learning. While this may be one solution to address flexibility with online classes, it was met with criticism online as “CHED” rose to the top of Twitter’s trending topics over the weekend, and for valid reasons.
Online classes are already a burden on many students and teachers: pushing them straight into another semester spells disaster if tackled without thorough preparation. The breaks in between semesters not only allow students and teachers alike to go home to their respective families pre-pandemic but also encourage them to engage in activities they’re not able to focus on while studying.
We’ve already tackled before that productivity in a pandemic is not a requirement: Students and teachers alike continue to adjust to distance learning amid the ongoing pandemic, bearing the brunt of this systemic flaw. Taking away some of the only things they’re entitled to sounds like a recipe for a burned out, unmotivated academe.
Art by Jan Cardasto