CEBU, Philippines – Thousands of students and members of the University of San Carlos (USC) community have called on school administrators to reconsider their position on ending the semester, as hundreds of coronavirus cases continue to be recorded in the country.
Bolstering their call to #EndTheSem, the Rise for Education Alliance-Cebu have started a petition among Carolinians to persuade school administrators to heed students’ complaints and needs.
The petition emphasized the need to immediately terminate the second semester of academic year 2019-2020, mass promote all students, and refund or carry over to the next semester unused tuition fees.
As of Tuesday afternoon, April 21, more than 8,700 people have signed the petition. This is more than half of the current college population of USC, based on statistics from the USC Registrar.
Aside from massive online support for the #EndTheSem petition, the USC Supreme Student Council has also written an appeal echoing the sentiments of the Carolinian community, in a letter sent to USC President Fr Dionisio Miranda.
“The students, as major stakeholders of the university, should be at the forefront of decision-making that will define our future,” the USC Supreme Student Council said in a statement.
Despite the clamor of students and faculty to end the semester, the USC announced in a memorandum on April 14 that it would resume regular classes and work on all levels on May 4, barely a week after the city’s lockdown was to end.
Students, employees, concerned parents and even local government officials criticized the memorandum.
In a press conference, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that it was too premature for educational institutions to declare a resumption of work and classes, in light of the rising number of coronavirus cases.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia had emphasized how universities should not open their doors for classes and work unless there was a flattening of the curve in terms of cases.
USC Vice President for Academic Affairs Fr Aleksander Gaut later clarified that the April 14 memo was a modification of an outdated memo based on older government directives. He assured that there would be a future modification of the memorandum as the administration waits for further advisories from the local and national government.
Students have aired their difficulty in complying with online requirements due to unstable internet connectivity. Many have also raised concerns regarding the inefficiency of online classes and non-consideration of the disposition of students and families during this pandemic. (READ: Students urge suspension of online classes during coronavirus lockdown)
While in-campus classes were canceled due to the outbreak, teachers were still directed to implement alternative modes of delivery and use online learning management systems that suit their needs.
Despite complaints, the administration only reinforced its decision to end the semester by May 23, based on its latest memorandum on April 17. – Rappler.com