UP Diliman to shift school calendar to August

MANILA, Philippines - All UP campuses and units are now geared to start the school year in August.

In a referendum held on Monday, March 24, the UP Diliman university council voted 284-164, favoring the shift in the academic calendar of UP Diliman from June to August 2014. According to UP College of Arts and Letters professor Ramon Gulliermo, 8 abstained.

Diliman is the last of the UP constituents to decide on the calendar shift.

"Dahil na-decision na yan ng UC [university council], 'yun na 'yung i-implement ngayong taon. Siyempre 'yung aming job na lang is to observe it. Kasi more or less, this is a pilot, ang kalalabasan nito hindi imposible na maibalik sa dati," Guillermo added.

Composed of all assistant professors and full professors, the university council is the highest policymaking body in UP Diliman.

In an earlier statement, UP President Alfredo Pascual said that the shift is "part of the continuing efforts of UP to develop into a regional and global university and to maximize the opportunities offered by ASEAN integration and global educational partnerships."-Rappler.com