COMMISSION on Higher Education Chairperson Prospero ‘Popoy’ De Vera has recommended that colleges and universities should move the students’ internship, laboratory activities and on-the-job training by the second semester of next year.

De Vera said training should be rescheduled by January of 2021 instead. “For this reason, classes can still push through and will have subjects that can be taught online, limited to theoretical lectures for the first semester, while other activities will be moved the following semester,” said the CHED chairperson.

“I-delay natin hanggang January at uutusan natin ‘yang mga university na lahat ng subjects na may lab, OJT, internship ay i-reschedule nila sa second semester. So sa first sem ang ituturo lang lahat nung mga klase na regular na pwedeng lectures theoretical yung sa first sem imo-move natin sa second semester,” De Vera said on Talk to the People Address.

According to De Vera, there might be limited face-to-face classes in communities classified as low risk and under the Modified General Community Quarantine.

De Vera admitted that the CHED doesn’t have a policy regarding plans of various universities to close operations due to lack of enrollees.

“Ilang eskwelahan na ang nagsabi sa CHED na magsa-sara sila at mayroon na nag-report sa CHED. Ang problema ay wala kaming policy sa pagsara kasi itong Covid19 wala pa pong nangyari sa matagal nang panahon,” he added.

Classes will push through in August this year as per Republic Act 7797 (Sec. 3) which states that school year shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August.