A TOTAL of 186 universities and colleges will begin classes on September and October, according to the Commission on Higher Education.

CHED Chairman Prospero “Popoy” De Vera III said during the Palace virtual presser with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that 20 schools have opened as early as June to July, while 731 began their academic year in August which tallied the most number of schools opened in a month.

De Vera also reiterated that it is impossible to move the opening of classes same as with the Department of Education since every higher education institution has its own curriculum.

“Hindi ito applicable sa higher education sa dalawang dahilan. Unang una, iba iba ang paraan ng semestre ng pamantasan, merong mga pamantasan na nag-adopt ng trimester tulad ng La Salle, St. Paul at PWU,” he said.

He added that MAPUA University, for instance, offers quad-sem, while most colleges and universities usually have two semesters.

De Vera said HEIs can begin classes depending on their readiness for flexible learning.

CHED, for its part, continues to provide services to students through the PHL CHED Connect which already has a total of 1,609 content – 1,356 materials in PDF and 353 educational videos.

CHED is also coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to improve the connectivity of schools.

Foreign internships meanwhile are suspended as a safety precaution amid the Covid19 pandemic.