AFTER MUCH deliberation, the Ateneo de Manila University Board of Trustees approved the proposal to shift the academic calendar of the Loyola Schools and the Professional Schools. The new academic calendar will run from August to May beginning school year 2015-2016.

The board members made the decision on February 5 and made the announcement through the Ateneo’s official website and social media accounts on February 6.

The Professional Schools includes the following: The Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, the Ateneo School of Government, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the Ateneo Law School.

The school calendar for the Ateneo Grade School and the Ateneo High School, however, will remain unchanged.

Smooth transition

According to the official announcement, the necessary steps will be taken to facilitate a smooth transition to the new academic calendar.

“The proposal results from an internal study and intensive consultations over the last eight months,” the statement read. “Faculty members, administrators, students, staff, parents and employers participated in a series of consultation meetings, focus group discussions and/or survey[s].”

The statement also read, “The Commission on Higher Education was informed of the process. The various stakeholder groups by and large supported the initiative.”

However, the Board of Trustees has yet to address several concerns that will come with the academic calendar change. One such issue is the shortened time period that Ateneans will have to review for the licensure examinations for law, medicine and electronics engineering.

However, University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ, assured the Ateneo community that such problems will be addressed before the shift

“We are dedicating one and a half years to work through these concerns thoroughly and systematically.  We are confident that we will be ready by 2015,” he said in the statement.

Implications

The Ateneo administration made the change in the hopes that shifting the calendar will enable the university to be more globally competitive.

“Ateneo needs to ensure that our graduates develop a global outlook and global competencies so that they can navigate a more complex, interconnected world and contribute towards resolving global concerns,” Villarin said.

Furthermore, the calendar shift will give the Ateneo a chance to further develop partnerships with other universities overseas.

“The academic calendar shift will align the Ateneo de Manila schedule to more than 80% of its current university partners overseas and more than 70% of all universities around the world,” the statement explained.

The statement also read, “This will facilitate mobility among students and faculty members, and collaborative academic programs and research.”

Promising outcomes

Despite the potential drawbacks of the academic calendar change, several students are optimistic about the shift.

Sophomore Mel Yutuc is in favor of the decision, saying, “This is definitely a positive new change for all the Ateneans because of the main reason why this was even considered: Globalization.”

“The schedule will be aligned with most of the other universities we are partnered with, and that’s important for the consistency of the development of Atenean education,” she added.

While Yutuc remarked that the additional three months of “summer” vacation may be perceived as “lost time” by some, she rationalized that the importance of globalization outweighs other concerns.

Freshman Jessie Gonzales added that the longer summer vacation before school year 2015 to 2016 may be used by students to their advantage.

“Time can prove to be useful because they (Ateneans) can take internships, leave the country and experience new things that they would otherwise not be able to experience with a shorter summer vacation,” she said.

Editor’s Note: Read the full story in the March issue of The GUIDON.