NEWS | Baguio City heeds the call of students for academic break
By Christel Castro
Student councils and school administrators from universities in Baguio engaged in dialogue with Baguio City officials regarding the call for a city-wide academic break last November 2, 2021. All four higher education institutions (HEIs) present in the meeting, Saint Louis University (SLU), University of Baguio (UB), University of Cordilleras (UC), and the University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB), agreed to adopt academic break in their universities.
City-wide academic break
On October 30, almost 400 students gathered at the main gate of SLU to hold a candle-lighting protest calling for the university’s administration to declare an academic break. The protest came after the administration failed to respond to the students’ call to ease academic requirements.
SLU-Supreme Student Council (SSC) Vice President Sean Ochave stated that the calls to ease academic requirements in the university started during the middle of the school year in 2020, however, the administration did not respond positively to the appeals of the students.
“Ang nangyari po is sa compassion and consideration ng professors dumepende ang students. Nakiusap po kami sa mga professors to extend deadlines,” Ochave stated.
Meanwhile, a letter regarding a city-wide academic break was also sent to Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federated President Levy Lloyd Orcales, and Congressional Representative Mark Go. The student council presidents from SLU, UB, UC, UPB, and National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) Cordillera are the signatories of the said letter.
The letter emphasized the detrimental effects of the pandemic and other recent happenings to students’ lives and wellbeing. They also suggested having the academic break on November 12–17 to relieve the academic pressure on the students.
“We believe that quality education comes when students and faculty can freely think and do activities. We can’t expect quality output if students and faculty are hindered from having a break to regain their sanity,” the letter stated.
The letter also included that two students gave up their lives due to academic pressure, while some alleged cases are still under investigation.
Ochave declared that the Baguio City Local Government Unit (LGU) has been responsive to the issue and has set a meeting with them on November 2.
Heeding the students’ call
During the dialogue between the Baguio City LGU, the student councils, and school administration representatives of the universities in Baguio City, SLU-SSC President Mystica Bucad emphasized that academic pressure can be part of the triggers why students experience depression and other mental health problems.
UC Faculty Union President Cecelia Pogongan shared the same sentiment and gave their support to the student’s call for an academic break. Pogongan stated that due to the distance learning setup, teachers also experience physical and mental stress.
Meanwhile, the UPB University Student Council representative proposed that other universities should adopt the UP system’s resolution on scheduling academic breaks in their universities.
Representative Go and SK Federation President Orcales also recognized the need for an academic break and proposed the scheduling of non-academic activities that can help students relax and cope with stress. Go recommended that the school administration engage in dialogues with their students and set breaks based on their academic calendars.
All HEIs present in the meeting agreed to implement an academic break and ease the requirements in their respective universities. The institutionalization of the academic break will be based on the discussion of the school administration and the student body.
Ligtas na balik paaralan
For almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic drastically hit the country, most educational institutions are still conducting their classes in a remote learning setup.
Earlier this year, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved some universities that passed stringent retrofitting and health standards for limited face-to-face (F2F) classes. However, only selected allied health-related programs, such as Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technology, and Public Health, were prioritized for F2F classes.
On November 5, CHED announced that limited F2F classes will be allowed for all degree programs in areas that are under Alert Level 2. Universities that will conduct limited F2F classes should have a high vaccination rate among students and faculty, approval from their LGUs, and retrofitted facilities.
