AFTER the University of the East-Caloocan turned down their appeal to defer the opening of classes, students asked the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to advise school officials to delay the start of Academic Year 2021-2022.

In a letter sent to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the Central Student Council sought the intervention of the IATF after UE President Ester Garcia rejected students’ appeal to postpone the start of the academic year.

“Other universities have also given this consideration, and it is our great concern that the heightened restrictions could pose considerable difficulties for both the students and their parents should classes push through,” the group said.

Earlier this week, students asked that class opening be moved from August 9 to August 23 because of the reimposition of Enhanced Community Quarantine in Metro Manila.

They said that delaying class opening will provide learners and their families “adequate and reasonable time to deal with the health and financial crisis caused by the pandemic.”

However, Garcia said delaying the opening of the academic year will cause irregularities in the Commission on Higher Education’s mandate to have 17 class hours per unit in a semester.

She added that faculty members will also be greatly affected if classes will be moved to a later a date.