ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider More students urge schools to suspend online classes amid rising cases, ECQ extension

More students urge schools to suspend online classes amid rising cases, ECQ extension

Published Apr 6, 2021 10:48 am

Students from different universities in the National Capital Region (NCR) are urging school administrations to extend academic break amid rising coronavirus cases (COVID-19) and extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

(Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal will remain under ECQ until April 11.

Citing the alarming and continuous rise of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, the Far Eastern University Central Student Organization (FEU CSO) and Institute Student Councils submitted a letter to the university administration requesting to suspend synchronous and asynchronous classes as well as deadline of submissions for the whole duration of ECQ.

"Hospitals are already congested. Medical front liners are overworked. COVID-19 positive cases are hitting closer to home. More than this, Filipinos are left with no assistance and yet we are all suffering from the government's incompetence and vague plans," the letter read.

These, in turn, have further exacerbated the already tough and grueling physical and social conditions experienced and endured by students and faculties with the continuance of online classes," it furthered.

FEU CSO also asked faculty members to accept late submissions "with no imposed deductions" and reduce or recalibrate the students' academic workload "provided that target competencies are still met."

Meanwhile, College of Arts and Sciences Student Council of San Beda University (SBU) appealed for an extended academic break.

"Dahil sa tumataas na bilang ng kaso ng COVID-19 sa buong bansa at pag-extend ng quarantine sa ilang lugar, nagdulot ito ng pangamba at pagkabahala sa kalagayan ng mga estudyante dahilan upang hindi ganap na makapag-focus sa requirements sa online class (Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases nationwide and the extension of quarantine in some areas, it caused anxiety and concern over our condition, causing them to not be able to fully focus on online class requirements)," the council said.

The council also underscored the importance of taking care of everyone's mental health especially in the middle of the global health crisis.

"Naniniwala ang konseho na ito na ang nasabing academic break ay magsisilbing pahinga at tulong sa ating mga estudyante at sa ating mga guro na may kani-kaniyang personal na hinaing at pinagdadaanan ngayong pandemiya (We believe that this academic break will serve us a rest and help to students and teachers who are also dealing with personal issues and stress from this pandemic)," it added.

READ MORE: Students clamor for longer academic break amid rising COVID-19 cases, ECQ extension

End semester now

The Adamson University Student Government (AUSG) sent a formal letter to the Vice President for Academic Affairs to end the semester.

" our country's condition, our fellow Adamsonians, our families struggling with this pandemic, and the current situation of the online academic approach; we perceive it to be inhumane to continue with the semester. Aside from having to comply with the demands of academic requirements, students are also strained from dealing with emotional, physical, mental, and financial problems," it said.

AUSG listed appeals for allowing students to get a "passed" mark in minor subjects, have just one final requirement in major subjects, conduct online panel defense on theses and dissertations, suspend online classes, end the semester, and permit students to access recorded lectures and modules to read.

READ MORE: #LigtasNaBalikEskwela trends as students seek for academic ease, Students’ group calls for gradual, safe resumption of classes

ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.