The government rejects the request of students for an academic break, Malacañang said Tuesday following successive typhoons that devastated parts of the Philippines.
The Commission on Higher Education has decided to discard calls for an academic break for colleges and universities and would instead push for an extension of the semester, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said.
"...ang decision po ng CHED ay hindi po papayagan itong academic break na hinihingi ng ilan, kung hindi ang desisyon po ng en banc ng CHED ay para mag-extend po iyong mga pamantasan, mga kolehiyo na hindi nakapag-klase dahil sa bagyo ng one or two weeks para po matapos ang kanilang semestre," Roque said.
Students from different school levels are pleading on social media for a respite from school work using the hashtag #NationalAcadBreakNow.
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For basic education, Roque said classes were not affected that much because the Department of Education was implementing blended learning.
"Unang-una po, sa ating mga public schools, iyong mga eskuwelahan na nasa ilalim sa DepEd, tayo po ay nasa blended learning at ang primary mode of instruction po natin ay modular," Roque said. "So, hindi po masyadong naapektuhan dahil wala po ngang face to face classes sa lahat ng ating mga eskuwelahan."
Roque made the remark as several areas across Luzon reeled from widespread flooding and devastation left by successive typhoons Quinta, Rolly, Siony, Tonyo, and Ulysses.
In Marikina City, classes in all public and private schools were suspended until Dec. 16 due to the damage left by the typhoon. The city was among the hardest-hit by Ulysses last week.
