STUDENTS and faculty members of the entire University of the Philippines system will enjoy a one-week ‘reading break’ in November.

A memorandum released on Tuesday by the Vice President for Academic Affairs said the request of students and teachers for a breather has been approved.

“One month of remote teaching and learning has passed with two more months to go before the end of classes. It has been a tough month for our academic community as it faced unprecedented and multiple challenge,” the memorandum said.

“To manage the stress of adjusting to the new experience of remote learning in the midst of a pandemic and to allow students to catch up, focus and understand course learning materials given to them, we are scheduling a System-wide Mid-Semester Reading Break on the week of November 2 to 6, 2020,” it added.

The university said that students can do advance reading or just simply have a break during this period.

Faculty members meanwhile were encouraged to make adjustments on their course delivery and assess the performance of learners especially those who have limited or no access to the internet.

“During the Reading Week, we enjoin our faculty members to refrain from conducting synchronous and asynchronous activities and assessments, and setting deadlines for course requirements on these dates,” the university said.