The University of the Philippines has decided to implement a No Fail Policy for the current semester. UP Office of the Student Regent (UPOSR) made the announcement in a Facebook post, following the Board of Regents meeting held on November 26. The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs is set to release the official guidelines soon.
"This is an initial victory for the UP student body as we continuously fight for the most inclusive and compassionate solutions for our education! UP, pakinggan ang UP community," the UPOSR wrote.
For months since the beginning of online classes, students have taken to social media to call for an academic break as students from different parts of the country struggle to keep up with the demands of attending classes online. The most common problems encountered by students include poor internet connection in certain areas as well as the lack of financial resources to afford internet connection and devices that can be used to access class materials.
In the middle of November, another call for help sparked on social media following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses and Typhoon Rolly. After a week-long suspension, classes remained continuous despite the country seeing areas severely flooded and devastated by the typhoon.
i have classmates who cant submit their works bc of connection problems pls kahit nasa urban ang students they still encounter these types of problems #NoStudentLeftBehind
— claire • #NoStudentLeftBehind (@kleyr_jpg) November 16, 2020ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
The Board of Regents, however, declared that classes will continue until the end of the semester.
Cancelling UPCAT
The newly announced no-fail policy is just one of the many steps the university has taken to adapt to the new normal of education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in November, UP also announced the cancellation of this year's UPCAT. The Office of Admissions is set to start the application period in December 2020. Exact guidelines and dates have yet to be announced.
Other universities such as Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and University of Sto. Tomas have also announced that they're suspending their college entrance examinations for academic year 2021 to 2022.
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