We, the stakeholders of the University of the Philippines Diliman, are united in opposition against the implementation of the shift in the start of the academic calendar from June to August for the following reasons: 1. It is undemocratic. During the February 6 Board of Regents meeting, the policy on the academic calendar shift was pushed through despite lack of substantial studies and proper consultations. Reports from students and faculty across the UP system indicate that the approval of the policy was railroaded in their respective campuses at worst and only barely legitimized by consultations at best.The Executive Committee of the University Council arrogantly overrode the original UC decision to oppose the academic calendar shift through a referendum. 2. It is deceptive. The administration of President Alfredo Pascual has cited two main reasons for shifting the academic calendar, namely 1) to be able to synchronize with other universities abroad and open up greater exchange opportunities for both students and faculty, and 2) to prepare the University for ASEAN integration. However, while the current academic calendar does not hinder either outbound or inbound exchange among students and faculty, the 2015 ASEAN Integration also does not require the country’s top university to align their calendars with those of other Southeast Asian nations. 3. It disregards actual Philippine conditions. The majority of Filipino household incomes are inextricably linked to the country’s agricultural cycles of planting and harvest. The summer and semestral breaks in the current academic calendar coincide with the time of harvest for farmers and fishermen. It also defies logic to claim that a shift in academic calendar will reduce the number of class suspensions due to bad weather. A quick review of the country’s worst storms and flooding on record will reveal that these happened during the months of the proposed first semester (August-December) in the new academic calendar. 4. It ignores the urgent problems of the University. Instead of changing dates and disrupting study and work cycles, the University should instead increase its investments in research, capital outlay, maintenance and operating expenses, and salary upgrades. Ultimately, UP has to stand against the overall program of the national government to reduce state subsidy for higher education, and instead lobby for greater state support for all state universities and colleges so that these may be better equipped. 5. It will not bring the University up to international standards. The UP administration claims that a shift in the academic calendar will lead to a more diverse pool of faculty and students. But more than an internationally synchronized calendar, foreign academics and students seek partnerships with institutions offering academically competitive programs, research facilities, and a strong domestic academic environment – all of which can be bankrolled by greater state subsidy for public tertiary education. 6. It will lead to rising costs and discontinuation of courses. Holding classes during the summer will undoubtedly raise our energy and water requirements during the months of April and May. Coupled with shrinking budgets for maintenance and operating expenses, this will inevitably lead to fees increases upon implementation of the calendar shift. Additionally, agricultural and marine science courses that are dependent on the country’s weather patterns run the risk of being disrupted or even being dissolved along with other courses deemed underperforming by the UP administration. 7. It will isolate the University from the rest of the country. Shifting the UP academic calendar will cut off our school cycle from the work-life cycle of the majority of Filipinos and their families. The supposed goal of the calendar shift even unmasks the UP administration’s vision for the University. Instead of making UP truly pro-people and a leader in building a stronger domestic academic community by forging links with other universities in the country, the UP administration is more interested in further integrating UP into the global higher education market. 8. Its wholesale implementation this year will be disruptive. The UP administration is rushing the University headlong into adopting the calendar shift without any proper phasing of its proposed implementation. A change in the academic calendar will affect not just students and faculty members, but also the lives and the livelihood of thousands of UP workers, administrative staff, REPS, vendors and other sectors within the UP community. 9. The policy-making process for the calendar shift largely bypassed the student body. While the UP administration has been busy in discussing pros and cons with the faculty, there is an alarming lack of information disseminated to students, who were largely unaware of the proposed shift until the February 10 forum. There has been no effective and comprehensive consultations conducted among the students. We demand an explanation from President Pascual and his cohorts as to why the opinion and decision of students were so brazenly disregarded, especially as we have never given our consent to the proposed calendar shift. We thus call on the UP Board of Regents to rescind its earlier decision to implement the calendar shift in the other units of the UP system and junk the same proposed policy for the university’s flagship campus in Diliman.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 12:07:29 +0000
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