8/12/2019 Manifesto Against the Academic Calendar Shift

1/2

OPPOSE THE RAILROADED ACADEMIC CALENDAR SHIFT! SCRAP THE SHAMINTERNATIONALIZATION PROGRAM!

We, the stakeholders of the University of the Philippines system are united against the railroadedacademic calendar shift policy which will take tertiary education further away from the grasp of theFilipino youth.

In its 1295 th meeting last February 6, through a majority vote, the Board of Regents approved the pilotshift in the academic calendar, mandating the constituent units of the University system to move thestart of their classes from June to August in the coming academic year. The approval was clearlyrailroaded, as it did not undergo any comprehensive consultation with the students the majorstakeholders of the University; alongside the different sectors who were not given an opportunity toexhaust discussion and debates on the said policy.

But this is not an issue of merely shifting the academic calendar. Deeper analysis of the policy will revealthat this will do more harm than good to the stakeholders of the University.

First, the policy is based on a conundrum of lies and deceit. The UP administration is misinterpretingand distorting the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint (a plan to integrate the regions economy) to back-up their internationalization claim. They are making the shift palatable by projecting it assomewhat a magic pill to hasten our claims for internationalization.

The ASEAN blueprint has not prescribed the harmonization of the regions academic calendars, butrather partnerships that will enhance the mobility of students and staff on the region. Shifting the

calendar will not automatically increase the number of exchange students and adjunct professors in theUniversity (a rather unscientific claim that is being pursued by the shifts proponents) . A strongacademic program and improved research facilities will be the deciding factor in encouraging studentsto study in a University and would forge better regional partnerships the real measure ofinternationalization. This can only be done if the government will invest heavily on State Universitiesand Colleges like UP.

The harmonization argument is also belittled by the fact that almost 43% of our partner HigherEducation Institutions (HEIs) all over the world do not have an academic calendar that starts onAugust. 1

Second, it is disregarding the Philippine economic context, in light of a backward-agrarian economymost poor Filipino families are involved in. Rainy-season rice is mostly planted on the months of Mayand harvested around September to November. 2 Most farmer households would have money just intime for the June enrolment, and the entire family is expected to help during the planting and harvestingmonths which will be impossible with the current proposal.

1 Based on a study by the Faculty Against Acad Calendar Shift (February, 2014). 2 Roberts, G. M., D. David, F. P. Walter, and N. L. Rosamond, 2009: El Nino Southern Oscillation impacts on rice production inLuzon, the Philippines . J. Appl. Meteor ., 48, 1718 1724.

8/12/2019 Manifesto Against the Academic Calendar Shift

2/2

The month of August is also considered the dead season or lean months due to a sudden halt ofplanting and harvesting in the fields. This season is often called in Panay and Negros Islands astigkiriwi , which means a face in severe pain in Hiligaynon: a sign for hunger. 3

This establishes the fact that a significant number of the population wont be able to afford UPEducation just because of the disruptive timing of the academic calendar. This, alongside the brutalreality that UP education is expensive enough, is contrary to the role of the University as a publicservice university, which aims to accommodate and provide quality education for poor but deservingstudents.

Third , it will disrupt and threaten university courses that are based on the countrys weather patternssuch as agricultural and marine sciences courses offered by our regional units. These courses can bedissolved due to the negative impact on instruction quality the shift might produce.

Fourth, it will lead to rising operation costs due to the installation of additional ventilation (airconditioning units), maintenance needs and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure (water sprinklers,

catwalks, etc). The rising operation costs, coupled with the yearly budget shortage and cuts by thenational government, can only lead to additional fees that will be charged, yet again, from thestudents.

Lastly, it does not answer the long standing problems of the education sector. The Filipino youths rightto education is already being trampled, with State Universities and Colleges experiencing cuts on theirannual budgets; inadequate funding for primary and secondary education; and private HEIs charging all-time-high tuition rates.

Instead of handling such problems, the UP Adminstration has chosen to internationalize edu cation byapproving this shift leading to a downgrading situation of Philippine Education.

We urge the members of the Board of Regents to rescind this approval of this policy as it does nothave any solid empirical and logical bases. It clearly does not benefit anyone, rather, it will do moreharm than good.

We call on our Iskolars ng Bayan to show our united stance against this deceptive railroaded policyand fight against neoliberal policies in education.

OPPOSE THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR SHIFT! NO TO COMMERCIALIZATION OF EDUCATION!

WE ARE NOT FOR SALE! FIGHT FOR A UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE!

3Mongayo, Karlo. In Tiempos Muertos: Why moving class opening to August is disastrous. Available athttp://karlomongaya.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/in-tiempos-muertos-why-moving-class-opening-to-august-is-disastrous/ . Accessed on 28February 2014.

http://karlomongaya.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/in-tiempos-muertos-why-moving-class-opening-to-august-is-disastrous/http://karlomongaya.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/in-tiempos-muertos-why-moving-class-opening-to-august-is-disastrous/http://karlomongaya.wordpress.com/2014/01/18/in-tiempos-muertos-why-moving-class-opening-to-august-is-disastrous/