STUDENT organizations from the University of the Philippines-Diliman have asked the UP administration to postpone the opening of classes on September 10, 2020 amid the rising number of Covid19 cases in the country.

The student body emphasized that the economic crisis brought by the pandemic had major impacts on the livelihood of its constituents.

“Parents of the students have been laid off or were subject to salary deductions, thus creating the dilemma of choosing between the continuation of their children’s studies or the provision of food enough to sustain them,” UPD Rise for Education posted on Facebook.

A survey conducted by the UPD Rise for Education showed 1,298 respondents disagreed with continuing the academic year through remote learning.

UP also reported that 5,600 UP students are at risk of not enrolling for the upcoming semester.

In addition, they stressed that faculty members are also having difficulties adjusting to online platforms as most of them have limited resources.

The student body claimed that the UP Admin still has to announce clear plans and provide concrete guidelines regarding adjustments in the Academic and Student Affairs roadmap despite the concerns raised.

“These clearly show that by pushing through with remote learning, the UP administration is excluding the majority of its constituents from quality education,” the student body said.

They explained that numerous UP students are not fully equipped for remote learning with many concerned about internet connectivity and availability of gadgets.

They added that students are also concerned about their physical and mental conditions considering not all households are conducive for learning.

“Therefore, the only solution that will solve this problem is that we work towards the same goal: a safe, accessible and quality education,’ they added.

Commission on Higher Education Chairman Dr. Prospero de Vera III said that Higher Education Institutions are not covered by the Republic Act No. 11480 which states that the deferment of school opening only applies to all basic education schools including K-12 program.

“The operative law that covers the opening of classes in the HEIs is the CHED law or Republic Act No. 7722 which allows colleges and universities to exercise their academic freedom, such as the opening of classes,” De Vera explained.