MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines (UP) said on Thursday, September 29, that it will allow full face-to-face classes in all its undergraduate courses beginning second semester of academic year 2022 to 2023, which is scheduled to start sometime in February 2023.

This development came after Senator Pia Cayetano hit five state universities and colleges (SUCs), including UP, for not fully implementing face-to-face classes for the current academic year.

At the hearing on the proposed 2023 budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and SUCs on Tuesday, September 27, the senator questioned why UP is still using blended learning. She warned UP to conduct face-to-face classes to secure their budget for next year.

Apart from UP, other universities that have yet to resume full face-to-face classes are Cagayan State University, Northern Iloilo State University, South Cotabato State College, and Mindanao State University.

Although in its announcement, UP said the move to hold face-to-face classes next year is “complementary to the university’s adoption of hybrid and blended learning to equip students for the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and achieve educational resilience in a volatile and rapidly changing world.”

UP said it has been implementing “100% face-to-face classes” for its laboratory, studio, and practicum courses.

The university said details regarding the implementation of face-to-face classes in all courses are currently being finalized. – Rappler.com