By Genno Gabriel Rabaya
Silliman University (SU) revealed its plans to change the academic calendar effective the second semester of the school year 2024-2025. However, the implementation is pending approval by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Dr. Margaret Helen Alvarez, interim vice president for academic affairs and research, disclosed the proposal to begin classes on Jan. 13 instead of Jan. 20 during a kapehan session with university administration and student leaders last Nov. 27 at the Luce Auditorium foyer.
Alvarez explained that the proposed university calendar is slated for the current school year to end on May 18 and the school year 2025-2026 to begin in June.
“I met with the [university] registrar and we needed to work on an academic calendar that would meet the requirement of starting the next school year. And we [settled on] June or early July,” she shared.
Moreover, Alvarez discussed the School of Basic Education’s (SBE) adjustment to their school calendar, which will begin on June 30.
She added that SU aims to adjust the whole university’s calendar to coincide with SBE.
“So we worked at revising the second semester schedule for college so that we could begin college next year on the same day that the SBE begins, which is June 30,” she stated.
Alvarez also noted that SU President Betty Cernol-McCann expressed that she does not want to remove the midyear term.
The midyear term will be shortened to five weeks instead of six, with two and a half hours of classes every day. Commencement for the midyear is targeted to be on June 22.
However, Alvarez clarified that these plans are still pending for the decision by CHED.
“It’s not yet official because our [university] registrar has just brought that revised calendar to check for CHED’s approval,” Alvarez explained.
Nonetheless, she emphasized that the university must make this adjustment to move forward with starting the next school year earlier than August.
“This has been presented to the Dean’s conference not for their approval, but for their acceptance,” she said.
