COMMISSION on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera III expressed reservations on the proposal to reduce the academic calendar of the University of the Philippines to 13 weeks, saying it would be problematic.

De Vera said that compressing the school weeks is difficult because UP has declared a one-week academic break.

“I see a problem because UP already reduced its academic calendar from 16 weeks, they reduced it to 14 weeks and now they would reduce it to 13 weeks. Compressing the semester in 13 weeks is a very difficult process,” he said.

When the reduction of class weeks was discussed by the Board of Regents, De Vera said he was against it but he was outvoted.

“I cannot support the reduction of weeks in a semester because kawawa ang mga bata at faculty diyan,” he explained.

“My position is UP should not end the semester in December, they should end it in January,” De Vera said.

The CHED chief said that he does not see a problem with other universities declaring an academic break because they have 18 school weeks this semester.