MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines Board of Regents (UP BOR) approved on Thursday, May 21, all submitted appeals from more than 60 UP departments and colleges to be exempted from the enforced numeric grading system.

The exemption will allow faculty to issue a “Pass” mark to their students instead of a numeric grade.

The UP Office of Student Regent had made the announcement while the BOR meeting was ongoing on Thursday afternoon.

After massive clamor from students and faculty for mass promotion and early end of semester, UP had ended this year’s second semester on April 30, but added that academic work would continue under the deferred grade scheme.

It later clarified that the university would still generally be following a numeric grading system.

Those who will fail or have incomplete requirements will be given a deferred grade, and will have until May 31, 2021, to complete adjusted course requirements. Depending on their performance, they will either be given a numeric grade or dropped from the class. 

Several UP professors earlier canceled their class requirements and automatically gave students a passing mark as an act of compassion, acknowledging the challenges posed by the crisis.

However, UP said that faculty members who wished to give a passing mark should first submit appeals to be examined and endorsed by their respective constituent campuses until they reach the BOR for final approval.

The UP Office of Student Regent described the approval of the submitted appeals as a “big victory for the Iskolar ng Bayan” as they continue to amplify their campaign for mass promotion. – Rappler.com