Prospero de Vera III
MANILA, Philippines — A total of 126 universities across the country have already declared academic breaks amid the surge of coronavirus infections while 123 more are expected to do the same, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Prospero de Vera III said Thursday.
De Vera said many of the universities that have declared academic breaks as early as the start of January are located in Metro Manila and in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon).
“Noong nakitang aakyat ang COVID, kahit na hindi pa nga nasa Alert Level 3 ‘yung ibang lugar ay nagdeclare sila ng academic break,” he said in a public briefing.
(When they saw that COVID-19 cases are increasing, even though their areas are not yet under an Alert Level 3, they have already declared an academic break.)
Aside from the 126 universities that have already declared academic breaks, 123 more are planning to do the same towards the end of January.
“So ‘yung panawagan ng academic break at mag-declare ng academic break ang CHED, hindi na kailangan niyan kasi kayang kaya na ng mga pamantasan na gawin yan on their own,” De Vera said.
(So the call for CHED to declare an academic break is no longer necessary because universities are doing it on their own.)
As of Jan. 12, the Philippines has 208,164 active COVID-19 cases after 32,246 more people were reported to have been infected.