Govt to streamline announcement of class suspension for college students

The government is set to streamline the process of announcing class suspension especially in the tertiary level to avoid confusion, President Benigno Aquino III said on Wednesday. “Ii-streamline natin ‘yung process para may clarity lalo na sa tertiary level," Aquino said at a press briefing in Malacañang. Asked on what seems to be the problem in announcing class suspension at the college level, Aquino said: “May konting overzealousness. Yun bang sobrang ganadong mai-disseminate lahat ito, tuloy nagkakaroon ng confusion at times." Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Tuesday tweeted the suspension of classes in college level minutes before Memorandum Circular 17, which officially announced the suspension, was released. Last week, Malacañang also suspended classes in the tertiary level in Metro Manila due to Tropical Storm Juaning, bypassing a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) directive that the agency-in-charge cannot order blanket class suspensions. College students complained of the failure of CHED to suspend classes. Aquino, at the same press briefing, said Malacañang and CHED cannot just intrude on the suspension of classes especially in colleges and universities as it is part of their academic freedom. “Mga colleges are in the best position to determine whether or not to cancel classes. ‘Yung CHED is not like DepEd (Department of Education). Mas mataas ang academic freedom sa tertiary level," he said. “Pag pinasukan po natin ‘yung CHED, meron naman siguradong aalma at binabawasan ‘yung kanilang rights and responsibilities. But there has to be certainty of information coming from government," Aquino added. — KBK, GMA News