CHED: Full online classes for earthquake-hit HEIs depend on their readiness 

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Friday said that the approval of full online classes for higher education institutions affected by the recent earthquakes would depend on their readiness to implement such.

CHED chairperson Shirley Agrupis said this following the petition of the Cebu Normal University to conduct full online classes until the end of School Year 2025-2026, citing structural damage following the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Bogo City, Cebu on September 30. 

“As a basis for approval, CHED has criteria. First we have the [memorandum order] describing or defining how many percent of the total number of hours…like 25% online, 75% face-to-face. We arrived with the approval of the online classes subject to the readiness of the university kasi made-defeat ‘yung purpose (because the purpose will be defeated),” Agrupis said during the Senate committee on finance’s deliberations on CHED’s proposed P33.997 billion budget for next year. 

“If the university is not ready…the internet connectivity, then we do not approve such online classes,” she added. 

To recall, the CHED in 2022 issued Memorandum Order No. 16, instructing higher education institutions to adopt full face-to-face classes or offer hybrid learning starting the second semester of School Year 2022-2023, as part of the recovery measures from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The memorandum states that higher education institutions “cannot offer their recognized degree programs in full distance learning delivery, including online modality” unless there is approval from the CHED. 

As of Friday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that the reported fatalities due to the powerful earthquake that rocked Cebu increased to 79.

A state of calamity was declared in the entire province of Cebu.

Aside from Cebu, several other earthquakes hit different parts of the country in recent weeks, including Davao Oriental, Zambales, and Surigao Del Norte. —LDF, GMA Integrated News