Several university-wide student councils across the University of the Philippines (UP) system are in talks with university administrators to reinstate the reading break in their respective campuses.
UP Cebu (UPC), UP Visayas (UPV) and UP Diliman (UPD) University Student Councils (USC) criticized the removal of the said break for A.Y. 2024-25, citing the admin’s “lack” of genuine student consultation, during the 58th General Assembly of Student Councils at the UPD Extension Programs in Pampanga on Feb. 6.
This academic year marked the first time the said campuses, including UP Tacloban, did not have a one-week reading break since its first introduction in 2020 “to support faculty and student wellness” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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UPC USC and UPV USC’s first semester unit reports revealed almost all students in their survey disagreed with the “arbitrary” scrapping of the break amid persisting issues of academic burnout.
Out of 300 UPC student respondents, 95% oppose the removal, and about half foresee “being affected by the absence of reading break mentally and academically,” UPC USC wrote in a position paper.
“It is no question that the education system remains output-based, and students continuously face heavy academic burdens that are only heightened by the absence of a reading break,” it added.
After students and faculty staged a “picket protest” on Feb. 12, the UPC University Council finally agreed to restore the unit’s reading break for the next school year. However, the specific terms of the reinstated break—which may be shorter than the usual one-week setup—are still up in the air, the UPC USC said in a Facebook post.
Likewise, more than 90% of 848 respondents in UPV USC’s sensing forms dispute the break’s removal, citing students’ restlessness, loss of focus, overstimulation and stress.
Some students even skipped the first two weeks of classes this second semester due to “extreme fatigue” from the previous term, said UPV College of Arts and Sciences SC.
“Currently, meron din kaming ginagawa na position paper na siyang ipe-present namin sa admin na backed talaga siya ng data at ng concrete and objective facts na galing mismo sa hinaing ng mga estudyante,” UPV USC said.
Meanwhile, the removal of the break drew mixed responses from UPD students, according to UPD USC.
“May mga colleges na sumang-ayon sa pagtanggal ng reading break dahil mas aligned ito sa culture or tradition ng academics nila or ng courses, habang mayroon naman na gustong maibalik ‘yung reading break kasi nagbibigay ito ng genuine na pahinga para sa kanila,” the council said during the assembly.
In April 2024, the UPD College of Science received similar reports from its students and faculty, pushing to scrap the reading break and lengthen the gap between semesters to “provide genuine rest” instead.
Psychosocial support specialists from UPD Psychological Services (PsycServ) also said their clients on the campus generally report “ambivalence” towards the reading break.
“The little rest from the break seems to inadvertently disrupt the routine that was previously established alongside [students’] classes, which in turn requires more effort in regaining motivation while catching up with requirements,” PsycServ said via correspondence with Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP).
UPD USC, nonetheless, described the students’ need for a “genuine welfare break” as a “general consensus,” following further consultations by the student coalition Rise For Education – UPD.
“On talks with the admin, need natin siyang i-follow up and support our case with data. Best to say na na-float na siya [reading break reinstatement], but we are yet to present our best case regarding the subject matter. For consultations, we could put a cap on it mid-March and forward consolidated points moving forward,” the council told TNP.
After removing the academic break, university officials adjusted semesters to start and conclude earlier on the affected campuses, extending the break between terms.
Yet, four other constituent universities: UP Baguio, UP Los Baños, UP Manila, and UP Mindanao managed to adopt similar schedule schemes without losing their breaks.
Last year, classes under the basic education curriculum also began a month earlier than in previous school cycles after the Department of Education announced plans to “gradually” revert to the old calendar and avoid holding classes during the dry season.
