President Emmanuel Leyco convened the Online Education Committee (OEC) in a meeting last Wednesday following his announcement of a “recovery week” for the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila from November 16 to 22, in view of the destruction brought by Typhoon Ulysses. Classes will be suspended, he explained, but communication lines will be open to facilitate consultation among the faculty, administration, and the students.
Asked if PLM will consider putting a stop to the online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, President Leyco said that “PLM will proceed just as the whole world is moving to surmount the challenges of the pandemic and natural disasters. No one will be left behind as we will help those who may find it hard to catch up.”
In the meeting, student representatives expressed gratitude for student inclusion in the OEC as they called for adjustments in the academic calendar to ease the pressure from those affected by the typhoon. They also vowed to continue encouraging fellow students to communicate their concerns first to their faculty and heads of their respective colleges, and then to the OEC.
In turn, faculty and administration officials affirmed that PLM will continue serving the community for “effective and relevant education” in the words of Vice President for Academic Affairs Flordeliza Ferrer, as she advised students to “consider us your partners in these flexible learning and teaching arrangements.” VP Ferrer also informed the body that PLM has started adjusting the University calendar in accordance with the required number of hours for the lessons to be covered.
Vice President Evangeline Lubao of the Information and Communication Technology Office added that despite the tremendous challenge in preparing PLM for online learning, they continue to improve internet service with increased bandwidth, complemented with fiber optics. They have also served the need of most of the students for internet connection, with only a handful now remaining.
Also, laptops will be provided for the teachers and tablets to be lent to some 12,000 students as part of the proposed PLM 2021 budget for a more responsive online learning management system.
As for the other officials in the meeting, President Leyco cited having consistently worked hard together amidst the risks of the pandemic and natural disasters. This is to ensure continuing service to the PLM community and the public.
