ERRATUM: An earlier version of this article mistakenly referred to SLIS as the “School of Library and Information Sciences.” The correct name of the college is “School of Library and Information Studies.” We apologize for this oversight.
No mid-semester welfare break was included in the University of the Philippines Diliman’s (UPD) academic calendar for A.Y. 2025 to 2026 for the second straight year after its implementation during the pandemic years.
Earlier this month, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan disapproved the University Student Council’s (USC) proposed wellness break from Nov. 3 to 8, despite over 7,000 students signing the petition letter.
The proposal came as students sounded alarms about rising influenza cases, mental health fatigue over the midterms season and the lack of psychosocial support on campus, the USC said.
Various local college student councils responded to Vistan’s decision by urging their respective deans to implement college-wide wellness breaks – only for most of them to meet the same rejection.
UPD Extension Programs in Pampanga and Olongapo (UP DEPPO) drew online flak for “insensitivity” when Director Patrick De Leon disapproved UP DEPPO Student Council’s request for a wellness break and said students may take a leave of absence or transfer to UP Open University if they “cannot stand their current academic load.”
The deans of the College of Engineering (Engg), College of Human Kinetics (CHK), College of Architecture (Arki) and School of Statistics (Stat) also disapproved requests for a localized break, citing previous consecutive class suspensions and the nearing end of the semester.
CHK and Stat, however, endorsed academic leniency in their colleges, while Arki and Engg left easing class policies up to professors and instructors to decide.
Only the College of Arts and Letters endorsed a local wellness break, while the School of Library and Information Studies declared one.
Amid students’ intensifying demands for a genuine welfare break in UPD, Tinig ng Plaridel traced how wellness breaks have been added to and removed from UPD’s academic calendar over the years.
Academic Year 2020-2021
October 12, 2020: The first mid-semester reading break in UPD was instituted when the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA) released Memorandum No. 2020-117, declaring Nov. 2 to Nov. 6 as break period for the first semester.
The memorandum said students may use the time to study in advance or simply rest from heavy course demands, while faculty members may assess their class policies or take time off from closely monitoring students.
During the break, faculty members are directed to refrain from setting deadlines, conducting synchronous sessions and tasking asynchronous activities.
The reading break was not officially scheduled in the A.Y. 2020 to 2021 academic calendar approved on Aug. 20, almost two months before the OVPAA memo was issued.
November 26, 2020: The UP Board of Regents (BOR) held a special meeting to revise the calendar for the second semester and midyear term after assessing the COVID-19 situation.
January 5, 2021: Then-UP President Danilo Concepcion approved the modified calendar for the second semester and midyear term, which formally introduced the reading break.
Second Semester (March to June 2021): Similar to the first semester, the reading break spanned a full week — from April 29 to May 5.
Midyear (July to August 2021): The reading break lasted three days, from July 29 to 31.
Academic Year 2021-2022
June 30, 2021: Then-UP President Danilo Concepcion approved the A.Y. 2021 to 2022 calendar, which set reading breaks for the entire school year for the first time.
The reading break for the first and second semesters remained week-long.
First Semester (September 2021 to January 2022): The week-long reading break ran from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8.
Second Semester (February to May 2022): The reading break lasted from April 2 to 8.
Midyear (June to August 2022): Similar to the previous midyear term, the break remained three days long from July 14 to July 16.
Changes in the calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic also moved the Christmas break (from Dec. 22, 2022, to Jan. 2, 2023) and semestral break (from Jan. 19 to Feb. 6, 2023) for this academic year, spanning 29 days in total.
Academic Year 2022-2023
April 11, 2022: The UP Office of the Secretary of the University and of the BOR released the approved calendar, maintaining the week-long reading break for both semesters.
But this marked the first time the university administration removed the reading break for the midyear term.
Academic Year 2023-2024
May 9, 2023: The UPD Office of the University Registrar released the approved calendar, which maintained the week-long reading break for both semesters for the third consecutive time.
Reading break for the midyear term had yet to be reinstated for the second consecutive year.
January to February 2024: Faculty members and students at the UP College of Science (CS) were consulted in a series of discussions to tackle academic policies, where they suggested removing reading breaks from future calendars and lengthening the semestral breaks instead.
In a Facebook post, CS said faculty and students agreed that reading breaks “[mess] up with the pacing of instructions and students lose momentum.”
Academic Year 2024-2025
June 21, 2024: The approved calendar for A.Y. 2024 to 2025 was released, which stripped reading breaks from all semesters.
Meanwhile, Christmas and semestral breaks were integrated into a single 31-day break (Dec. 19, 2024, to Jan. 19, 2025).
Excluding reading breaks in the calendars, this period’s integrated break was longer than A.Y. 2023 to 2024 (25 days) and A.Y. 2021 to 2022 (29 days), while it was shorter than A.Y. 2022 to 2023 (41 days) and A.Y. 2020 to 2021 (71 days).
It was only five days longer than the integrated 26-day break of both pre-pandemic A.Y. 2018 to 2019 and A.Y. 2019-2020, when reading breaks had yet to be implemented.
October 22, 2024: Progressive education alliance Rise for Education – UPD released a unity statement with other UPD student formations, calling for the implementation of a wellness break during Undas for “genuine rest and recovery.”
The alliance cited stress from academic pressures and “fluctuating academic modalities” as the reasons for the proposed break. It also called for a locally consulted reading break.
February 6 to 8, 2025: UPD students are torn about removing the reading break, the UPD USC said during the 58th General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) at UP DEPPO in Pampanga.
The council added other students said reading breaks interrupt academic culture and traditions, while some said they provide genuine rest amid a stressful semester.
UPD Psychosocial Services told TNP that students show “ambivalence” towards reading breaks as they disrupt academic momentum and motivation.
RELATED: UP student leaders negotiate with admin to restore axed reading break
May 9, 2025: Similar to UPD USC’s manifestation in the GASC, then-Councilor Joaquin Buenaflor said the student council’s Iskonsultasyon initiative back in March about the reading break also yielded mixed reactions from students, according to a Philippine Collegian report.
Academic Year 2025-2026
May 9, 2025: The academic calendar for A.Y. 2025 to 2026 lacked reading breaks throughout all terms for the second straight year.
May 29, 2025: A Philippine Collegian report found students were not consulted in the drafting of the academic calendar.
Similar to the previous year’s calendar, the Christmas and semestral breaks were combined into one, totaling 31 days from Dec. 18, 2025, to Jan. 18, 2026.
November 2, 2025: CS Representative to the USC Sophia Quigao said the college’s suggestion in 2024 to remove the reading break from the academic calendar only “made sense two [academic] years ago” when the Undas break was long and the reading break moved the finals season to January.
Quigao also said conditions have since changed following the recent rise in influenza cases and shorter Undas break.
Of over 7,000 UPD students, a total of 751 CS students signed USC’s petition letter for a wellness break that was soon disapproved by the chancellor, according to Quigao.
Reading break across UP campuses
Academic Year 2024 to 2025
UP Manila: Home to the university’s College of Medicine and College of Nursing, which implemented reading breaks for the entire academic year.
- First Semester: Oct. 28 to 31.
- Second Semester: April 14 to 16.
- Midyear: June 27.
UP Los Baños: Home to the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine, which implemented a week-long reading break for the first and second semesters.
- First Semester: Oct. 14 to 19.
- Second Semester: March 24 to 29.
UP Baguio: Implemented a reading and health break for the first and second semesters.
- First Semester: Oct. 28 to 31.
- Second Semester: March 13 to 15.
UP Cebu: Similar to UP Diliman, the reading break was removed from its calendar.
Academic Year 2025 to 2026
UP Manila: Maintained its reading break for the entire academic year.
- First Semester: Oct. 30 to 31.
- Second Semester: March 31 to April 1.
- Midyear: June 25.
UP Los Baños: Shortened its reading break to three days for first and second semesters.
- First Semester: Oct. 9 to 11.
- Second Semester: March 12 to 14.
UP Baguio: Renamed its reading and health break to “wellness break” for both first and second semesters.
- First Semester: Oct. 28 to 30.
- Second Semester: March 30 to April 1.
UP Cebu: Restored its reading break for both first and second semesters following the request of and consultation with its USC but renamed it to ISIP (Independent Study and Integration Period), which is three days shorter compared to its previous reading break in A.Y. 2023-2024.
- First Semester: Nov. 3 to 5.
- Second Semester: March 30 to April 1.
