On April 1, an amendment to the easing of academic requirements and grading system due to pandemic limitations has been made and was made public on April 4, 2022. This amendment will take effect starting this 2nd semester of the school year 2021-2022. Within this amendment, pre-pandemic requirements will be adhered to by the students. These requirements include but are not limited to, taking quizzes, recitations, midterm and final examinations, and having at least nine synchronous sessions for the entire semester. Moreover, attendance in class will be required from the students under the online mode. For the grading system, the ordained system found in the course syllabi shall be applied, where a student’s class performance is 60% and the midterm/final examination is 40% for the entire semester.
To be just, I understand the university's willingness to follow the IATF's protocols and preparation for the limited face-to-face classes but implementing this amendment without prior notice to the students or considering what resources they have before releasing caused unrest to a huge number of students and is still causing them to think thrice of how they are going to survive this semester. Especially for those who are still grappling with the day-by-day effects of the pandemic by part-time or full-time working. I know some students who work a nine-hour shift at night, then go straight ahead to their class in the morning. Dispensable attendance and recorded classes have been really a great help for those working isko and iska that we have that’s why lifting the academic easement and no-fail policy during this time, where the majority of the classes are still done online, could greatly affect tons of students. Another sector of students that could be heavily affected is our student leaders who utilize half of their time for organizational work and the betterment of our student body. Doing organizational work and studying at home can consume one’s whole day, especially setting up most of the school events and happening through online platforms with quality visuals and content. I know these problems and scenarios have been overcome by preceding students before the pandemic, but the situation at the moment has a different struggle and load to bear. What seems to be a normal load of work on school grounds before—may it be regarding an organization, working part-time, or studying full-time while being sane, is double baggage for most of the students today.
If there will be any amendments regarding an academic easement, I think it would be fair to retract it little by little or implement what is really necessary at the moment for, us, students can adapt gradually. Because bringing back the setup of a face-to-face class even if the majority of the subjects taken are still online will only cause more pressure and difficulty for the scholars to learn. Surviving and staying well balanced through a pandemic is hard already, striving to pass every semester is another story.
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