THE SAMAHAN  ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) lashed out at the head of the Commission on Higher Education for asking backers of the academic freeze proposal to submit a formal petition before the agency.

CHED chairman Prospero De Vera on Thursday instructed that the petition must include a study that would serve as the basis for the implementation of suspending classes for the school year.

He added that proponents must “do a serious study, compute the cost, look at options, look at the parameters, and submit it to the commission.”

But SPARK countered these claims, saying that together with various student formations, it already forwarded a formal petition to CHED as early as July this year.

According to SPARK spokesperson John Lazaro, the petition was forwarded last July 28 and covered by various media outlets. But so far, there has been no response from CHED yet.

“It is incomprehensible how De Vera can have the gall to demand campus groups to submit petitions when they refused to even acknowledge one that has already been forwarded,” he stated.

“De Vera’s inconsistency and insincerity are on full display, as it becomes even clearer that his office will not back an academic freeze regardless of evidence we intend to present,” he added.

The group believes De Vera’s invitation to submit a formal petition was an attempt to douse cold water over the persistent and ever increasing clamor for academic freeze.

“There’s no denying that an academic freeze is the most rational and humanitarian response in the time of a global pandemic and economic recession and is widely supported by an overwhelming number of students, teachers and parents across the economic spectrum and geographical zones,” Lazaro said.

SPARK is among many organizations and individuals calling for an academic freeze until January to lift the burden of millions of teachers, students, and working class parents who are left unprepared for the reopening of classes.

It claimed an academic freeze would also provide the government ample time to implement the necessary preparations and reforms to properly open classes by January.

The Department of Education previously rejected calls for an academic freeze, claiming it would have long-term effects on the learnings of children.

“If (DepEd Secretary) Briones and De Vera refuse to listen to us, then it is only proper that we direct our attention to President Duterte, who can declare an academic freeze by issuing an executive order,” Lazaro explained.

SPARK recently posted a petition on online platform Change.org demanding President Duterte to sign an Executive Order declaring an academic freeze until January.

The group also called for the refunding of all unused tuition fees, the full payment of the salaries of teachers and workers, and subsidies for the internet connection and gadgets of students and teachers.